Evangelion: We Can (And Will) Reverse This
by KnightOfZ3R0
Summary: Shinji Ikari wakes up to a world unlike the one he once knew: NERV is lost in destruction, Misato commands Anti-NERV Force WILLE, and Shiro is nowhere to be found with hints of his disappearance pointing to the organization dubbed NEVEC. It's now up to Shinji and the friends he makes along the way to fix his sins, and uncover the truth behind SEELE and the Instrumentality Project.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: FINALLY**

**FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY, FINALLY!**

**FINALLY! It's over. After finally getting past all my shitty US history projects (I mean I like to write, but not about history what the fu*k) I have finally finished ****rewriting**** the first 2 chapters of Evangelion: We Can (And Will) Reverse This. And as you've probably seen I decided to put this on the original page for the first version of the story; the draft idea in a sense. Well no more of that. No more rough drafts just the true, finalized edit in! Its! Finest!**

**I will post chapter 1 first and chapter 2 soon in the following week once chapter 3 is finalized and ready to post so do hang in there and be prepared for the changes to come.**

**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**

**That said, please make sure to leave a review; they help me to understand what you like, what you hate, and what you think of the story so far! That said, Please Enjoy the Show! Man haven't used that one in a while huh?**

**Anyways, Please Enjoy the Show!**

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?Angel-_**"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: Devil's Descent**

**Planet Earth, high atmospheric orbit**

"_Pursuit Squadron-01, report both Evangelion and NEVEC NEOS current orbital positions."_

"_Pod-02 Dash now reaching orbital altitude…. 02-Dash is now in target orbit."_

"_Pod-08? What of Pilot Illustrious?"_

"_Well, I had some orbital problems yeah, but-"_

"_Problems were unseen in orbit due to lack of rising altitude, though Unit-08 shall be within range shortly."_

"_Acknowledged; Pod 02-Dash will had to solo the operation, with Pod-08 as support."_

"_Transitioning now from shift 10 to 07."_

"_Pod 02-Dash now passing the point of return."_

"_And NEOS?"_

"_That old wreck? Still broken in the old orbital blockade, ma'am. Though we've still activated our Short Range EMP System in case they've planned a sneak attack."_

"_Pod 02-Dash now entering Orbital Area-88!"_

"_Acknowledged; Operation-U.S is a go!"_

"_Understood. Pod 02-Dash has now entered her final operational orbit."_

"_Now transferring engine power to deceleration."_

"_RCS now active…. Activation confirmed!"_

_Stage-01 ignition is a go!"_

"_Posture-Control Systems is green light, no problems in the machine."_

More and more voices barked orders and rose to attention as a single star shaped object, black and shield like came to life with aboard engine fire. Its energy echoes across the black abyss, high above the red Earth's sea. _"The S1C's combustion was a success!"_

"_Contact rings now ready for separation… Success!"_

Metal split away from the large star body as Operation U.S came to life rapidly, with several voices going silent and other continuing on to give orders. Its engines flashes for a moment, turning the star as smaller parts hovered off the armor.

The object split somewhat in half, revealing the center piece which held two large points together like a shield. In the back of the triangles, held by thin metal bars, were large cells with gun grey and crimson red armor blocks and pieces holding them in place.

On the inside the pilot sat as the Entry Plug flared and roared to life, finally displaying the close planet. It still laid there, dormant, silent, red and still so full of death like before. Hands clenched to the controls as a voice, female yet full of the most extremist of stoic, spoke out. _"Unit-02 Dash is on intercept course with target; I.D confirmed by MAGI, it's Unit-01. Eighty meters to contact."_

"_Reconfirm the target."_

"_Contact point is unchanged."_

"_Maintain Shift-M, no other casualties."_

"_02-Dash has prepared for rendezvous point. Pod-08 will only be able to give 96 second support, so make this quick, Shikinami."_

The pilot silently nodded on their helmet, eyeing the far object under their visor. It was obsidian black, shaped like a cross with a disturbing silence surrounding its frame.

"_Reflective waves appearing across the targets area."_

"_Is it NEOS? Or…. The _other _one?"_

"_No, this is different. Whatever it is, machine or not, it's jamming us!"_

"_It must be that wrecks old auto defense array."_ Flashes of light passed by Pod 02-Dash, exploding in the distance as it continued across the night_. "Don't worry! I ain't alone on this little ride, nya~!"_

Explosions returned around Pod 02, shaking it but not damaging it. _"Burst shockwaves incoming in: Three…! Two…! One!"_

Pod 02-Dash's pilot shook somewhat as the surrounding A.T Field arose, the explosions seemingly hitting the space surrounding it as another voice came to pass. _"Second wave incom-Pattern Blue confirmed!"_

"_Oh dear me, what troublesome bunch, eh Eyepatch?"_

"Shut up, 08! And I told not to call me that name!"

"_Object scanned and identified- it's the Mark.04, Alpha-Type."_

The Mark.04, from a far perspective, could be seen as a UFO. It was a rather dainty disk with purple "wings" and yellow linings, as well as four needle shaped legs that sliced at anything in its path. Say, for example. Pod 02's A.T Field, as it was now doing. "Bastard has an Anti-A.T Field?!" the pilot growled, watching with worry as the Mark.04-A's cut through the hexagon like shield around Pod 02-Dash.

Just at the legs retract, small inner energy cannons fired a barrage of bullets which melted into the star-like shield around Pod 02, whose pilot finally snapped in frustration. "To hell with this! Half of this shit is useless!"

The shielding fell away as the pod revealed its cargo: and huge, 100 meter red, black, yellow and white humanoid like mecha, and Evangelion-no, the Evangelion Unit-02 Dash in all its divine glory. The only few key differences being it's Gatling gun left arm, painted black and red to match its color coding.

"And this damn helmet! I can't see with it in the way!" Orange hair flowed out the helmet as the pilot revealed itself to be a beautiful redhead, with a piercing blue eye and a left eyepatch who glared at the supposed "EVA" before her. "Just how in the world could that moron Shiro wear these things huh? Must have had some sort of Bluetooth crap to his EVA or something! And Four-Eyes, quit your damn singing! It's pissing me off!"

Unit-02 Dash's A.T Field returned in a flash, and the Mark.04-A quick to the offense began trying to cut through the Field before it was send back by a powerful burst of energy. "Ngh, crappy 2 second support as ever I see!" Unit-02's pilot, Captain Asuka Langely Shikinami, glare down at her so called "help": a secondary Evangelion laying on one of the shields like a chair.

This Evangelion was different however, with a light pink coloring and white, yellow, green paneling with a white eight green-eyed horned helm. _"Funny, you're usually 3 seconds ahead of the final run, Captain!" _The pilot proclaimed cockily, her blue and pink helmet standing out inside the Entry Plug walls. _"It's a little thing us adults call Adaption, Princes. Learn it, then try to keep up with little old me!"_

"Adult thing?! I'm more of an adult than you EVER will be, Four-Eyes!" Asuka yelled back, before turning back to the situation. "I've passed the Fullerene Shift, now entering the Final Defense, Area designation is 89! Target is on the move!"

Closer and closer did the cross come, spilling rapidly as it did. "No time for obit correction!" Asuka cried out, jutting the controls and aiming her EVA's grapple cannon-arm. "Guess I'll just have to brute this like that idiot!"

Three….

Two….

One.

Boom. The grapples snagged onto the target alright, but it went sailing right past Unit-02. Just as planned. Cables were reeled as Asuka and the Unit-02 Dash approached the fast moving cross. A few second later and the pair made contact, with Unit-02 acting as the cross' defense. "Combustion is done for," She stated, detaching the final piece of her old shuttle as the boosters floated away. "The target is in my possession; returning to base immediately."

"_Understood, good job out there Shikinami. We'll be awaiting at Retrieval Point Bravo, Call sign Saturn IV."_

"Roger." Alarms flared as Asuka noticed a familiar indication come up on her side screen: Pattern Blue Detected. "Wha the-?! Another Pattern Blue, but from where?!"

Her answer came in the form of the lower section of the cross splitting apart, revealing another black and purple drone from the metal coffin. The 'box' opened and instantly all flaps extended to form a pair of thing, paper metal arm. "Object confirmed: it's the Mark.04-Beta. Field-Reflective Coating is being released!" Asuka cried, glaring from the arms and below to Unit-08. "Those bastards, and so close to home no less…. Hey Four-Eyes, give me some help here, will ya?!"

"_Sorry darling, but I just reentered the atmosphere!"_ Unit-08 gave a simple salute as it and the pilot descended. _"Hope to catch you on the surface!"_

"Oh my God, why do we even keep you here?!" Asuka roared, puller her EVA around to see the Mark.04 rush at her. Unit-02 gave a harsh kick which left a notable dent, but the Mark.04 still firmly held to the cross. "No one told me anything about secret robots! Why wasn't that part on the sign-up sheet?"

Metal arms forged and gave a disturbing echo as a halo revealed its form, shining with an uncontrollable light around Unit-02 and the cross. Asuka's eyes widened with realization, and she cried out in pain as the echoing continuing, twice as loud and harsh in her ear drums. "D-Damn! My… My damn A.T Field won't neutralize it!"

"And I can't maintain my altitude angle anymore!" She continued, watching as the Mark.04-B jumped atop one of its 'arms' and rose up it like a car on a highway. "Dammit! I can't… reach… its core!"

"_Captain Shikinami, the capturing if of Evangelion Unit-01 is our top priority!"_ Her superior snapped cruelly, not paying any mind to Asuka's previous words. _"Capture it, even at the cost of Unit-02!"_

"Jeez, thanks for reminding me Katsuragi! You think I'm doubling over in pain for kicks or something?!" Came Asuka's response. She turned from the _**"SOUND ONLY"**_ comm screen as Unit-02 stood back up, before collapsing as the Mark.04-B fired a beam of raw power which tore right through Unit-02's arm. Asuka screamed louder before her eyes landed on the coffin, and the person whom she despised so much inside. "Think you can help me out here or something, huh?! Stupid idiot Shinji!"

As soon as the fords left her lips, she got exactly what she wanted.

Almost instantaneously, a single beam of red tore right through the cross with a loud crack, splitting the halo apart with unrelenting speed. The explosions that followed tore any hope of the Mark.04's survival away as it was easily stalked down and finally destroyed by the eye beam.

But Asuka didn't care.

She care for the crying out of her superior.

Or the bright explosion that followed the Mark.04's obliteration.

Or even the… the voice trying to speak up once more.

All she cared about now was staring at the crack in the cross. At Unit-01.

At Shinji.

The for briefest of moments she thought she could see his reflection in the Entry Plug from the encased Unit-01, still smiling brightly at her like how he did once before any of…. Any of it had happened. All she could do for time being was give a soft smile to the Unit-01 as it returned to sleep.

"Baka…." She warmly said, looked down to their home with a sad gaze as her Unit-02 Dash and Unit-01's coffin began to approach the red surface. "Welcome home, I guess…"

As they did, a single object began to flow somewhat to life. It was rather large object compared to the many asteroids and old defense satellites around it, with large wing shaped panel jutting out the stations sides with a large energy cannon underneath it. _"Communications array reestablished. Orbital Station NEOS reporting to NEVEC Base-00. Neo-NERV and WILLE EMP Burst Wave Systems disabled; Evangelion Unit-01 has entered into WILLE territory. Recovery now improbable."_

"_Understood. Continue monitoring of AAA Wunder and Ark Fleet till and Western hemisphere bombardment of target till further orders."_

"_Acknowledged, NEOS out." _Energy built up around the station as a beam of heat flowed across the night and onto the Earth, burning the "target" as it did.

* * *

Meanwhile back on Earth, a lone boy stood atop old wreckage with amusement. He could sense it; Unit-01, even after so long as it descended to the Earth. And the wave of energy he sense from his friends older sibling only confirmed his belief. "The time has come once more; welcome back, dearest Shinji Ikari." Kaworu Nagisa said softly, smiling as he faced the dark sky. "We've been waiting alone time for you to return."

"_Shinji….. Shinji….. I… I miss you, brother….."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/VEELE/Angel-_**"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 2: To Wake Up**

"_I….I've missed you…. Brother…."_

"_WARNING: REACTOR OVERLOAD CRITECAL….."_

"_You can't do this….. Not to me, or him….!"_

"_I won't let you kill him any more than… have!"_

"_Forgive me….."_

"_I won't….et you…!"_

"_**YOU'RE NOT SHINJI!"**_

Blue eyes flashed open, red fading away with a petrified cry as his head hit something, hard with a platic bang. "Ow!" He cried out, tugging his arm….

He blinked, and his breath hesitated for a moment to once more come up as he tugged his arm again, and felt a pinch. A pinch on his right wrist and a tightness all across his left arm. "A-Another unfamiliar..." Something was wrong; very wrong.

Everything felt different.

Weird.

He felt less emotion. Like something was lingering all of a sudden.

"What-What are these…? _Cuffs_? What… the hell?" His eyes found a glass screen in front of him, barely making out a far ceiling because of the red glow across the room he assumed he was in. It didn't help the feeling he now had in his stomach; it made him feel smaller, colder even. "A-Ack?!"

The tightness over his left arm clenched even more, feeding him more pain than anything he'd felt in EVA-

Suddenly everything came back to him.

Evangelion Unit-01.

Zeruel, the Tenth Angel.

Null Unit being trashed.

Unit-02 being beaten.

Rei.

* * *

He felt himself now being pulled forward atop a gurney, still cuffed down with a holographic screen next to him. He didn't dare speak, but he knew damn well who was around him: at least 5 or 6 armed guards, decked in armor with looks of pure hatred in his direction.

"His cardiopulmonary function is normal, for the most." A voice, this one female and young at that, caught his ears and filled them with irritancy. As much as he respected whoever this was and their role, he was really hoping it was to be an adult. He didn't need a nanny, what he needed was a person to give him answers, such as why there were guard pointing their guns and weapons at him. "No palsy extremities found… Yes, he's opened his eyes, ma'am."

A face looked down at him, looking into his own confused eyes. She was young, a bit younger than himself he'd dare to say, and she brought an odd sense of…. Familiarity and peace with her. She wore a cape with a symbol on it, but he couldn't make out the insignia before she continued. "Hey, can you understand what I'm saying?" She repeated this in both basic Japanese and English.

He raised a brow in confusion, glancing to the guards as if to get confirmation to speak. _No response, huh? Well it's now or never _he thought as his mouth opened "U-Um, yes I think? Where am I, if I'm allowed to ask miss…?" He trailed off hoping she'd get his message.

She either did or flat out ignored him as she spoke into an earpiece. "Good…. Yes, he can talk." She said. "BM-03 is conscious, yes. Fully in fact…. Yes. Yes… Understood."

"Wh-Where-Where am I?" He asked with more shown concern. Memories began to connect more and more as his mind fully came too. _The Geo-Front was….. Attacked by the Tenth… Zeruel, was it? How do I know the Angels…? Wait there was Null Unit and Unit-02…. They lost and Unit-00 tried to…. Tried to destroy itself and Zeruel altogether… I fought, and won…. Rei and I were floating in Unit-01…._ "I was in Unit-01 with…. Wait. Wait, where's Rei?"

"Yes, ma'am. His memories of the Tenth Angel assault are returning, and quiet rapidly compared to… the other Specimens." She said, stealing a stoic glance to him before back away.

"Rei… Rei, where's… where's Ayanami?" It anything he expected a answer when using her last name; it was seemingly the only other way to get information about her. Talking like she was a toy; a tool, an experiment.

"Tell me, sir. Do you know who this is?" The screen became a mirror, and he reeled back slightly at the reflection. It was himself, but different; sharper blue eyes, with somewhat longer hair ending just above his neck in a much more messy fashion. But it was still him; same flesh and blood, same voice and mind. Same boy who'd fought against his personal will for NERV…

"Is that…. Me?" He questioned, though she spoke into her earpiece again.

"Yes, he can recognize himself. No apparent problems so far, ma'am." She continued, looking towards a pad in her hands.

"What-What are these things?" He managed to catch a glimpse of it; a black choker like neck piece with a red square in the center. He looked to his left arm, seeing a black arm sleeve with a red line at the end. "I, uh… didn't know the military was involving BDSM into their…. Experimental operations." He struggled not to laugh in finding the right words.

The girl seemed to nearly giggle at his voice, but she was soon silence by one guards glare. "Anyways," she started. "Are you hungry in any way? Do you have urinate at all?"

"No, miss." He replied calmly, before feeling a sudden shutter as the elevator they rode came to a halt. "It seems we've arrived…"

* * *

**Command deck, undisclosed location**

He soon discovered where they were; being a sort of makeshift bridge/command deck. It was entirely circular with the "deck" being in the center of it all with wires and cables coming off it and from the ceiling.

"Cargo delivery clearance is up now by 88%."

"_Maintaining N2 Reactor power generation at 90% and rising…."_

"No enemy cruisers detected for the next 12,000 radius, ma'am."

"Opening pressure valves 9-12; manual release initiated."

"No aerial objects discernible."

"Forget about the condenser for a moment and…."

"_Prioritizing Block-D battleships for personnel transferring immediately."_

"We need more to bring up ship rations!"

"Hurry it up then, we haven't got all day!"

"Checking gyrocompasses for Battleships 3-5."

"Gauge is accurate, requesting calibration confirmation over."

"_All ships now under outfitting for movement, checking mainstream road maps."_

"Wunder armament is 3% behind presumed schedule, not to mention the other…."

"Ma'am's, we've brought the Specimen, BM-03, as requested!" The girl gave a former Japanese bow as his gurney stopped rolling just below the highest platform on the "deck," where two people stood. One sat by a far computer with a large screen, while the other turned at the phrase "ma'am." Unlike her companion who wore a wool grey jacket, she wore a red jacket ending just at the waist with black pants, as well as a red captain's hat to boot.

"Perfect." Came the response, emotionless and cold with what could only be described as a slight edge in the woman's voice. Yet it also held familiarity too. "Release him immediately. The rest of you guards, return to your posts."

As the guards all left, his gurney's cuff holders snapped open letting him sit upright. He flexed both arms, all fingers as well before finally, and hesitantly, stepping off and onto the cold metal flooring. "What in the hell is going on here…? And just what are these?" He asked himself, looking from him arms sleeve to the choker on his neck.

"Ship steering equipment under recheck; no problems so far." Blue eyes blinked at the voice, one he almost instantly made out. _Is that… Makoto Hyuga, from NERV?_ He questioned, before silence brought him back to reality.

A reality that was concerning as everyone's gaze fell upon.

"Aaaaand, cue the ominous music." He joked softly. Not even a giggle from the girl before, and he gulped nervously as everyone watched him with mixed emotions. He looked back to the commander, who wore dark glasses under her cap but he could make out her face almost easily. "Wait… Misato is-is that you?"

"Shinji Ikari." A haunting flashback came in the form of his first time meeting Misato and how kind she was ton him then. Now she seemed distant, colder. Uncaring even. Dare he say like his father, Gendo Rokubungi was up for question as she continued. "Can I even call him… call _it_ that?"

"I'd assume so." Another voice, the one in the form of NERV's Evangelion director Ritsuko Akagi, came to life from behind Misato. "All physiological data matched the Mudake Code-03 Child. Even his dental profile and body composition are 100% identical to the body prior to NTI. And yet oddly the test results for his Deep Synchronization test didn't foresee the change to his arm. It could possibly be due to extreme exposure to the LCL and EVA's physical system."

Captain Katsuragi stayed silent for that duration, before looking down to "Shinji Ikari." A part of her wanted to have him killed on the spot. Another part longed to hug and cry for him. She pushed for neither, settling to hold her emotions aside for the time being. "And the DSS Choker? What of that?" She inquired.

Her second-in-command turned back to her deck, bringing back what looked to be some sort of trigger like detonator. "Already installed and ready for use, Captain." She said. "And as per your… request, we implanted a severe Shock Systems which connected into his nervous system. The glove will stay on unless he goes through surgery, and it will keep… whatever is underneath it, at bay for now."

"Underneath it…" Shinji looked to his arm, unsure of how to comprehend what was going on. Did something happen to me while I was asleep or…? "Wait, _Captain_ Katsuragi? I could have sword Misato was a _Colonel_ under NERV rank-"

A beeping cut him off as the choker abrupt tightened around his neck." Ack!" he cried out, nearly dropping to the floor. He felt his air hole tighten before being loosened of pain, and he bit his tongue to hold back another cry once he heard several snickers from the crew on deck. _Bastards_, was all that came to mind. "Bastards…"

Katsuragi humored herself on the inside as at his insult. _Indeed, this is Shinji Ikari._ She thought. _Stupid fucking goody-two shoe clones…._

"You do realize that there is no way to take it off right?" the younger medic stated, looking with disdain. "Better yet, there's no time whereas _we'll_ take if off you."

"We're done here." Cap. Katsuragi snapped, flashing around to the bridge crew. "Have him send down to R&D for another-"

A familiar hexagon, red with the red "WARNING," flared with fury across the bridge. "Decoy Drones 1-5 are under engage-never mind, they've actually just been destroyed!" Another familiar voice came to cry out, Shigeru Aoba who sat across from Hyuga. "Wavelength now detected!"

"What's this thing?" This voice didn't catch Shinji's memory compared to the others of NERV; no, this one was young. Not as young as himself, but still in youth if anything. Sad thing thought was the tone that came out; if sounded so confused, as if this was new to her or something.

"Is it NEVEC?" Katsuragi raised her gaze with disinterest and annoyance.

"After the Stormbreaker crashed in old Boston? Yeah right." Makoto mocked. "Pattern Indicator is Blue; Nemesis Series has been confirmed, Captain!"

"Damn, they're ahead of schedule now are they…?" Katsuragi snarled.

"_Three-Dimensional attacks all across the far blockade!"_

"Indeed, these are as we assumed: the Mark.04-C's, though it seems these are no prototypes as from before, ma'am." Ritsuko explained. "And they're locked on to us. Worst part is we can't leave just yet-"

"Have all construction halt and support the main engine." Katsuragi interrupted, fixing her arms under her chest. "All ships, go to combat Battle Station Level 2! Target all Nemesis Series drones immediately!"

"Acknowledged." The front screens replaced the red hexagons with attention icons, each reading 'All Stations: COMBAT CONDITION II.' "All ships, prepare for Station 2 combat! Prepare for all aerial, sex and underwater assaults!"

"Transports, abandon all your supply transfers effective immediately! Yes… Yes! Yep, yep prioritize the transfer of personnel now!"

* * *

**North Epicenter, ****Arctic**** Circle**

Across the old Arctic Circle, drenched in blood red water that spanned for miles, a singularity of unprecedented power stood out against all others. It sat larger than the entirety of the UN's Naval Pacific Fleet, dwarfing even that of the UN's prize Over the Rainbow aircraft carrier with wings that spanned across the sea. Maroon and bright red coloring painted the hull with large parabolic dished across the top, with large cranes and vehicles rushing past or working across the massive ship.

"_All ships, personnel transfer in now top priority!"_

"_Don't stop working on that damn engine, we need it up and running stat!"_

"_I repeat: prepare for all land, sea and air combat!" Makoto's voice rang out as alarms gave warnings. "Long-range cannon array's now mobilizing and readying!"_

"_Confirm the power supply status! All aircraft, move out of the airspace and head for point-02!"_

"_Continue ship outfitting while you still can…!"_

"…_I'll say again: keep working till the last second!"_

"_Anyone working on the power lines, assemble at your utility boats stat!"_

"All tower cannons F-Z, prepare for long-distance assault!" Navy destroyers and cruiser flew past the large wires that sat across the Rainbow carrier, their guns now primes with burning bullets ready to teat at the first wave. "Activate any and all remote linkage systems. And prepare for any surprise movements!"

"Keep working on the Main Engines Transfer System injection!" One tech order, tossing his cap aside as more voices spoke around him. "And for God sake, give me the status of Engine functionality!"

"N2-Reactor is now ac 99% output increase!"

"_Injection in progress."_

"_Open the 1__st__ 90 Valves now."_

"10 1st Lower power pipes are now connected to the engine cell system!"

"_No irregularities found in the 3__rd__ or 4__th__ Hub Station ports!"_

"_Roger, all 90 ports now fully opened."_

"Begin energy supply systems!"

"_Power supply to the N2-Reactor is going smooth."_

* * *

Inside the large vessel laid EVA Unit-08, covered in a sheet of large LCL wires and machines working around its chamber. "Now inspecting LCL Circulation Pumps… all filtering systems checked and are in order, ma'am!"

"Okay then boys, Battle Stations on the double!" The voice came from Maya Ibuki, her once shy and quiet personality seemingly replaced by a powerful, much more strict and authoritative woman. "Take your positions-Hey, you! Yeah, you move back now or you'll get killed first!"

"Chief, we got no dice over here!"

"And you guys wonder why I said it was bad to have civilians and the crew mix…" One guy murmured.

"That's enough! Get back to work, you slackers!" She roared, making the men jumped as they ran from side to side consoles. She tsked as they moved, glaring over to Unit-08 and its pilot inside. "Seriously, Mari how the hell do you still put up with all these kids…?"

* * *

"Jeez, and here I thought NERV was bad when Angels attack… but this… This is pathetic to see." Shinji meanwhile watched as 'NERV' specialist and technicians worked at their machines with fury, struggling to work on certain key problems that Shinji himself knew was not like NERV to do. "This…"

_What if I'm not at NERV?_ He suddenly thought, glancing from the girl and then towards Katsuragi above. _What if I'm asleep or something stupid like that? Are these even people I know..? Are they actually Misato, or Ritsuko, or Aoba or Hyuga? No… No don't-don't jump the gun on this Shinji, it's just like Shiro said: Best to keep your friends clo-_

His mind abruptly drifted from the thought as he snapped back to reality. "Okay so… stop outfitting here and then… start wall barrier closure, right? Is _this_ it?"

"What does it mean by watch the skies carefully? I can't see a thing in here…" Another groaned, this one from a pink haired female who caught Shinji and, unbeknownst to him, Shigeru's attention. "This is sonar direction, I think?"

"Kitakami, what's the status on the upper deck stations?" Shigeru asked, scratching his beard with concern.

"Wait-hold up, I'm _still_ in charge of that?" Kitakmai questioned.

"Yes!" He cried out with a groan, slapping his head with frustration. "Double! Jobs! C'mon how could you forget this by know?!"

"We're doomed…" Ritsuko uttered with a silent sight. Her mind wandered back to 2015; back to NERV and the perfectly organized structure, and the power they had, and her cat. Nowadays all she found were complaints and cries to stop work for a break wherever she'd go.

"Seriously?"

"Oh my God what is this…?" Shinji asked himself, thought it did catch Katsuragi and Ritsuko's ears. "Now I _know_ this can't be NERV, they'd never let themselves go this badly…"

_Oh if only you knew __**why**__ we were like this, Shinji… If you even are him that is._ Ritsuko thought, looking towards a now irritated Katusragi who turned.

"Come over here, you can stay here with all the danger about to go down." The young medic next to him said, pointing to a opening under the platform beside them.

"Anti-Air cannons and Guided Missiles are ready on all destroyers and cruisers!"

"I uh hate to say it, but we've got a lot more tension around the bridge during Battle Stations!" Someone cried out with worry.

"Good, just as how it should be." Katsuragi simply replied, watching the outer video feed. "Link all the A.A systems together; Unit-01's protection is now our top priority."

"Unit-01…" Shinji's mind flashed memories fast: _purple, green, black. A giant, green eyes, a halo, a wish…. Rei,_ that caught his attention fast._ Rei… Rei, Rei! Where-what happened to Rei?! She has to be here if I'm here too!_

"Oh hell, here they come!" Kitakami screamed out as her radar flashed multiple targets surrounding the center. "10 Pillars of Light confirmed; the numbers are rising rapidly!"

"_Identification Core blocks impossible now!"_

"Shit, they must be using cloaking cocoons." Ritsuko hypothesized. "Not good: id that's the case, then we'll be sitting ducks very soon in their Saturation assault."

"_600 seconds now till contact!"_

"Captain, we need to spread the fleet if we want to survive the attack." The Ex-NERV doctor continued. "We have-"

"Is that right, Commander Akagi?" Katsuragi abruptly questioned.

"Yes!" Ritsuko exclaimed. "We lack any skilled personnel are ships are just _barely_ being outfit for real combat and any flight tests. And worst all, we're unable to really identify the enemy Core Blocks, with the MAGI Achiral giving us a victory percent chance of 00.00%."

"Funny, we've had this sort of predicament before with the Sahaquiel Angel back then…" Katusragi replied fast.

"Back then we had more than 5 EVA's rather than the current 3-no, _2_ actually that we have right now!" Ritsuko cried back trying to her higher-up to listen to her reasoning. "We have to retreat!"

_Dammit, don't give me the silent treatment woman!_ Ritsuko screamed mentally, watching her friend go silent. Don't give me the Gendo Ikari treatment, you know in the end I'm right!

"… Your right. We lack the firepower and ability to truly win; which why we'll simply have to change our situations and get all problems for the future of us…" Katsuragi explained, turning her head towards the faux blonde. "From this point on call it in: we're _taking_ off, Vice-Captain Akagi."

"'Taking off'?" Ritsuko questioned, before her mind rapidly rushing realizations to her brain as she cried out, "You… You can't serious you-You can't to use the main engine?!"

"All cruiser and stations, be advised we're preparing for launch!" Katsuragi gave a bark of order which easily showed her belief in the Vice-Captains fear as she glared. "Prepare for engine ignition!"

"What?!"

"You can't be serious are you?"

"That's insane, ma'am!" Everyone, Shinji included with curiosity, looked at Katsuragi with terror. In the few years most of them had been with the group, no one dared to think they'd go so far as to use the main engine of their command ship. And yet here they were now; with a Captain ready to use it and damned if they wouldn't.

"Captain, I keep telling you we can't use the Wunder in full combat!" Ritsuko protested.

"See exactly!" Another technician cried out. "We haven't so much as tried doing a VR simulation, let alone _prepared_ the ship completely. It's suicide!"

"And I have not experience with gravitational control! I think I can do that with everyone's lives on the line!"

"I don't think it's smart to try fighting at all!" Kitakami cried. "I don't want to fight a fight we'll die in!"

"Oh shut up now, Kitakmai!" Another technician, this one older with a short goatee who stared at her shaken figure. "You young kids really ought to stop complaining so much…"

"Funny, considering _you're_ a bit too old to say that, aren't you Koji?!" Kitakami snapped at the older who turned his head with a whistle. "Shouldn't you be watching out for yourself now?"

More and more began arguing back and forth, and Katsuragi's headache now began to grow rampant. _This is getting us nowhere,_ she thought as she moved forward. Its fight or flight- not time to argue like fools!

"I myself admit this is indeed insane." She started, fixing her cap as she spoke. "But we won't fight! Simply use ourselves as bait while the enemy finally comes out for us!"

"The supposed 'Power to kill God' hm?" Ritsuko asked with a worried look. "Fine; I'll see what I can do from here. But let me remind you still, Captain Katsuragi, how the Ignition Systems are installed yet. Unless you plan to use the fake Cassius with Unit-02 or 05 to bring us up?"

"….."

"Katsuragi….?"

"….. Mari, can you do it?" Katsuragi questioned over the radio systems.

"_Sorry, Misato no can do!"_ Came a reply.

Shinji shivered. _Oh God please don't tell me she's here…._ He thought. _Wait… Actually this might be good. She might be able to tell me something about how she knew-_

"Shikinami? What about her?"

"Shikinami? As in… _Asuka_ Shikinami?" Shinji blinked at the name. "Asuka is here too?!"

"_Got my spear and I'm on my way now!"_ Came a familiar voice, followed by an even more familiar humming of an Evangelion coming to life. _"Just fix the ignitor into the engine, then get out right? Simple!"_

"I'm counting on it being easy for you, Captain." Katsuragi encouraged. "But just a heads up, Captain there is a barrier density around the engine itself."

"_Is anyone still down there?"_

"If I recall, Katsuragi's motto was to "Prioritize Objective over Human Casualties."" Ritsuko called as Katsuragi's gaze snapped to her with anger. She ignored it.

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever. Deep down you know she has a heard still Akagi."_ Asuka responded as her EVA came to full power. _"Evangelion Unit-02 Dash now launching!"_

"Acknowledged; launching Unit-02!" Katsuragi responded.

A loud thud came across the side as Shinji shuttered with the vibration that came_. "God I hate this change at my poor baby EVA's appearance… To think this was to be my real battle debut!"_

Shinji could only smile at her remark; truly this was the Asuka he lived with. If there was one person, one single way to describe EVA, looks, combat appearance, and generally being in public for that matter, it was Asuka Shikinami.

A loud echo came aside Shinji, who looked towards a large window in time to see Unit-02 Dash pass by. 4 Green eyes with red and white colors glow under the ocean water as the EVA's large left arm motor engine like cell pull it past him.

"So it is Asuka… She is alive…" Shinji gasped with joy. Ever since the Bardiel/Unit-03- No, the _VEELE_ incident, he assumed the honest to God worst. And now that he knew she was here, alive and well, he only prayed that her mental and physical state was the same still. "Shiro…"

The thought of Asuka having mechanical prosthetic arms and legs led Shinji's mind to the memories of his older brother, Shiro Ikari. The horrendous memory of that thing… that damn centipede like Angel shredding Unit-Null before Zeruel finished it off during the last battle of NERV.

"Shiro, you…" his mind began to crack under the memories he began thinking about what could have been his older brother's fate. "No…N-No…. don't think that…." He warned himself, hitting the side of his head as the thoughts began to fade. "Cross that bridge when you get to it, Ikari…. When you get to it…."

His mind struggled to stick to his words; he looked around, hoping to find something-no, anything to get his mind off the thoughts he now is getting. "Misato…" He murmured, looking up as he spoke louder. "Misato, please tell what I can do to assist?"

"All ships, prepare for Battle Station Level 01 now!" Katsuragi snapped, the alarms now returning to red as technicians got to work twice as fast.

"Understood, all ships prepare for Battle Station Combat 01 Immediately!" Makoto radioed over his console system.

"_All key personnel report to the command deck; prepare the gravity ballast system."_

"Roger," A technician started pulling levers and pressing switched as she continued speaking. "Check all vents now…"

"Focusing all primary controls of the ship to anchoring plugs."

"_Understood, now prepares to descent."_

"_Injector now confirmed. Timer is now active."_

"_We're ready to move the Hirnstamm Tower."_

Shinji finally sighs, glaring up at the captain as she continued to ignore him. "Want me to yell? Fine, I'll yell…" he said to himself, raising his voice. "Katsuragi!"

His yell caught everyone attention.

"I asked if I can help, the least you can do is give me a yes or no answer!" He exclaimed, not caring about the glares the many young and older technicians gave him. "You said Unit-01 is here, correct?"

"….." Katsuagi stared him down in silence.

"Allow me to pilot, or at least give assistance to Asuka if they enemy attacks her!"

No response, which only infuriated him.

"For fucks sake, if won't let me pilot at least say it to me face!" he screamed, making everyone gasp and glance to the Captain. This is was by far the first time in a very lone while that someone screamed profoundly at their leader, and that time it… didn't end so well.

Finally someone spoke. "Yes, that is correct Unit-01 is indeed here Shinji." Ritsuko explained with little emotion, looking aside before back to him. "But in this situation we don't need you to pilot Evangelion 01 for us."

"There. See? What that so difficult?" Shinji remarked, making the faux blonde turn away. As he began to calm down, his mind began to adjust to what was just said.

He no longer need to pilot EVA.

A part of him was filled with joy and hope… another part was suddenly bombarded by pain and grief, as if he just got a punch to the gut. "Separating the Hirnstamm Tower deck." A speaker stated, followed by the actual command deck system and its crew to lift off the ground. "Moving to Command Bridge, over."

"No need…." Shinji repeated the phrase, it felt oddly alien to him now. "So what can… Or I guess, what _should_ I do?"

"Shinji Ikari." The way Katsuragi said his name felt more like a statement being read then her calling to him. He looked towards her as she, just for a brief moment to him, pulled off her sunglasses. He never felt such a cold stare from anyone else in his live, save for his… father, Gendo Rokubungi. "From this moment forward. You _will_ never do anything."

That said and seemingly done, the command system was enclosed by a large sphere in the ceiling, silently twisting upwards like an Entry Plug would to an EVA. "I see…." Shinji murmured, unsure no of how to fell. _The way she looked at me was different than Rokubungi would before. It self so… different so… so… cruel._


	3. Chapter 3

**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel-_**"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 3: To Wunder**

**Entry Plug Command Bridge, Command Ship**

"Now saturating all LCL and gas mixtures!"

"Density charge is now finalized and cleared, ma'am."

"Begin the main Entry procedure." Cap. Katsuragi barked, fixing back on her sunglasses.

"Of course, Captain." Makoto acknowledged, looking up at the flashes of colors in the circular chamber. "LCL charge density status is nominal and steadily increasing."

"Now starting up all processor systems." Shigeru called.

"What's our personnel status?"

"All personnel present and ready for departure, Cap!"

"Initial contacts running smooth!"

"_Confirmed all stations."_

"List 1 now checked."

"Barrier wall closure now confirmed."

"We've passed the pressure resistance check!"

"Backup engine reserves now supplying the Main Engine."

"Ignition power now entering Main Engine fuel line…"

"….Ma'am, we'll have reached the critical point in about 5% completion!"

"Starting up the gyrocompass systems." Koji Takao reported."

"Stabilizers showing no problems!" Hideki Tama exclaimed. "Just hope it stays that way…."

"Now commencing visual data processing…" Sumire Nagara flipped a switch, and instantly the large chamber screens began to form into a large outside feedback. "Image now on main monitor."

The camera revealed the many destroyers surrounding the command ship, and in the distance the many pillars of crimson that steadily moved forward. "Targets are still on route to us." Kitakami stated. "They are surrounding us, Captain. Slowly, but surely closing."

"And Unit-02 Dash?" Katsuragi questioned.

"Now finished disposing her propelling systems and switching to left hand." Makoto explained.

"I want Unit-05 retrofit in the main hangar bay, have the system reconfigured to aerial and ground combat." Katsuragi ordered, looking to Ritsuko who nodded and began to work at her command screen. "Asuka?"

"_Alright, here we are!"_ Came a reply._ "All set and done… Alright, let's get this over with!"_

Unit-02 Dash came to the crew's vision on another video feed, directly showing the main reactor. The reactor itself was a dark purple oval cocoon with red linings and large black pipes connecting it to the ship.

"A.T Field now initializing!" Asuka yelled. As the words left her mouth, Unit-02 Dash's field flared around it. Outside, the pillars of light began forming large eyes across their frame, connecting with one another to form a large net of fire.

"The pillars are fusing!" Hideki reported. "Energy flares from the framework is increasing rapidly!"

"And they're moving a lot faster than earlier!" Kitakami cried, her radar now showing the cage of light now doubled in speed.

"We lost another Iowa-class, Cap!" Shigeru hastily said.

"Good God, they're entrapping up; a saturation assault!" Ritsuko realized. The pillars finally formed into a large dome cage trying to enclose on command center and her fleet, ripping apart whatever came into contact with it. "Captain, we need to engage while we still can!"

Katsuragi didn't respond.

"Captain!" Ritsuko pleaded.

"360 seconds till point contact!" Makoto cried.

* * *

Underneath the waves, Asuka and Unit-02 Dash now prepared for fire the main engine. In Unit-02 D's hands was a silver replica of the Spear of Cassius, its end tip glowing bright white in the murky maroon seawater. As soon as the blade was entirely pure white, Unit-02 D pulled the Spear back, aiming it before crashing it into the Reactor core, making the red sea flare brighter than ever before.

_Finally, this is where it starts!_ Asuka thought as she handled the Spear firmly against the waves of energy. _No shittier red sea, no more cold air!_

* * *

"Unit-02 D has begun Reactor activation." Makoto explained. "Inflow pressure now at 300%! We have to redirect power from the-!"

"Forget it, Makoto!" Ritsuko insisted, clutching the handles of the bridge platform. "Just focus all of our power on energy going into the Flywheel! It's the only priority at this point!"

"Right!"

"_Captain, the 83__rd__ line is doing down and fire extinguishers aren't doing jack squat!" _A radio voiced out. The many fleet cruisers that connect towards the large vessels interior exploded into unrivaled energy along with their ships. _"Aaaand now the 7__th__ Converter Cluster is gone; unless you plan to make this fleet magically teleport, I'm really hoping to fly soon!"_

"We just need more time, dammit!" Ritsuko snapped. "Anyhow broken line shouldn't matter, just force feed the injection units!"

"Ignore any remaining pressure locks!" Koji barked.

"_We are now releasing the locks on the Compressed Flywheel." _Atop the red ship escaped a large cylinder on its top, now spinning rapidly as energy flowing all across the large ship. _"Energy pump system now commencing."_

"_Backup engine reserve operation now at 80%!"_

"_Load it up with the catalysts!"_

"Rotational speed now increasing tenfold!" Sumire exclaimed.

"10,000…. 20,000… Come on, just a bit more!" Koji yelled out. He, like many others aboard prayed to God that this would work; otherwise it'd be a very short trip. "Yes! Flywheel is now as 102% and rising!"

"Critical points now exceeded!"

"Final ignition phase is a go, ma'am!"

"Good, about time too." Katsuragi commented. _Now_ it was time to fight back. "Helsman, switch to Flight Mode now!"

"Aye aye!" Sumeria called, taking her controls. Unlike the others, Sumire's control seat was larger with a 3D design layout of the winged ship itself with multiple warnings and confirmation lights going off. "I'm now starting AAAW's spatiotemporal control System. Now switching to 3D Ship Control."

"The second you feel it Sumire, we activate the A.T Field!" Katsuragi explained.

"Rotation is now a 36,000 and rising!" Hideki yelled. "Parameters now show green!"

"Contact!" Koji screamed. "Contact imminent!"

"Screw the countdown then; start up the engine NOW!" Katsuragi barked.

"Roger!" Koji called back, pulling one of the larger levers at his seat. Outside the compressed Flywheel roared with energy and lights before crashing back into metal. The remaining energy exploding in all directions, filling the air with hot steam and smoke.

"ASUKA, IGNITE IT NOW!" The moments those words left her mouth, everything changed. Asuka gave a scream of rage as Unit-02 purged the ignitor fully into the Reactor core. Loud engines roared for the first time in years before a powerful, uncontrollable wave of pure heat exploded.

The wave washed over all ships and the large ship itself, ripping apart the dome cage as a familiar loud echo flew across the sea. The large ship now began hovering with might as a large halo appeared over the epicenter of itself and the UN Fleet. "We're clear of the cage!" Kitakami reported.

"Checker every single department online!" Ritsuko ordered, struggling to maintain her balance. "Bring every consort ship we still have up and back; NOW!"

"And away… we…. Go…." Katsuragi whispered, her lips twitching for a brief moment. Everything was now riding on this to work; and if they failed, then humanity would finally have lost. "Autonomous Assault Ark Wunder, _launch_!"

Outside, the AAA Wunder Command Ship ascended above sea water to reveal its pristine form. Huge-no, ginormous compared to anything before it, nearly 2 kilometers long with a unique bone like underbelly and tail design. Light maroon blended with yellow and blue color paneling all across her hull, pointing out large and smaller parts visible to the eye.

To the front sat two large hidden engine cells, with an arrow pointed bridge center between. Large energy cannons and antenna arrays sat across the top and lower parts of Wunder's hull, with a very actual bird like design with its large wings and long tail.

Louder did the engines get as Wunder arose, light flashing all across as it, and her many support ships, rose above the clouds. The large wings began "unfolding their talons," spreading out to reveal it was much larger than presumed. Underneath grew a large vivid A.T Field, slowly dispersing as a pair of halos gently caressed below.

For a moment, silence ensued.

Then it all went back to hell.

Almost immediately, large grapple like cable shot out of the water, through the clouds and directly into Wunder's wings, impaling them. Blood began rushing out the openings, followed by the many explosions that ensued. For the most part, the bridge crew kept their cool but they knew better; the enemy wasn't so keen on letting them escape with their own stolen ship.

"Damn, we have damage on the left and right wing! Unknown damage extend!" Koji cried.

Katsuragi grit her teeth as Wunder's new injured flashed across the large screens. "Damn that, it doesn't matter!" She snapped, gripping the hand rails. "Prepare to open fire on the Mark.04's! Sumire, flip us; have us astern! I want a better look at these bastards!"

"Roger! Steady course, going astern!" In an instant, Wunder tilted forward, nearly being tugged down too had it not been for the engines keeping them afloat.

"Good. Prepare for full reverse; we're going to drag the Core Block units out of the shielding!" Wunder began to tug at its restraints as loud cracks formed across the wings. It seemed like an endless tug-of-war, and on one end was a cheater; and the other end was an injured opposition.

But it wouldn't end here.

Not like this.

"Shit, we've got cracks across the main wing beams!" Hideki screamed.

Katsuragi bit her tongue, watching the cocoon shielding expand more and more till it was larger than the whole damn fleet! "Keep that rudder steady; bring us to maximum power on both ends, full reverse power!" Wunder's front engines flared instantaneously, tugging the targets out. Bursts of water flourished as the cocoon exploded.

The Mark.04-C's were revealed to be similar to their Mark.04 siblings: large cylinders with red lightings. Purple and yellow colors flared as the remaining tendrils flapped about the sides. "Ah, there you are you bastards!" Sumire screamed with glee. "Core Blocks are up and about!"

"Hard to port!"

"Yes ma'am!" Wunder began abruptly spinning, slowly dragging the Mk.04's upwards. The large command warship spun faster than before, enough to pull the fake-EVA drones right up to their altitude. "Thrusters at full!"

"Full break….._NOW_!" Wunder froze in place as the Mark.04's wire gave whirls of cutting air as all four crashed into one another. "There!"

"No sign of attack!" Shigeru screamed.

"Then let's give them a reason to fight back! Full power; main cannons 5-12! Load the Energy-Penetrator Ammo!" Katsuragi ordered. "Connect every cannon towers available to the Main Engine; then deploy any and every single damn cannon circuit!"

"Understood, Captain!" All across Wunder red lines connected to large energy cannons flared with fury, heat burning at the barrel ends. "Ammo supply circuits now primed and ready, Captain!"

"Now correcting final target measurements!"

"Artillery is unlinked!"

"Direct aim and manual tracking ready; cannons target locked!"

"Finally then," Katsuragi murmured, her lip twitching once more as she glared forward. "Fire the cannons!"

Explosions filled the air and passing silence, and instantaneously the Mark.04-C's exploded apart. A.T Fields tried and failed to suppress the assault, finally cracking apart along with an explosion of crimson crosses all across the skyline.

"Targets eliminated; no casualties!" Shigeru exclaimed with shock. Wunder silently began to tilt and spin down, finally lowering back to its UN Fleet. "All ships, move to Guard Station Combat Mode 2; have Unit-02 Dash prepared for recovery!"

"Yes, and have emergency repair crews start on the wings!" Ritsuko ordered. She sighed with relief, as did the rest of the crew in shock and relief. "We won…."

"I-I can't believe it…" Kitanami said, with Hideki murmuring in agreement. "We did it…. Wunder and us, we… we lived…"

"So, it is as Kaji said then; she really is as insane as we are…." Koji stated with a slight smile. He wiped his forehead, looking back to Katsuragi who fixed her collar in silence.

"Now we have it…. The power to kill God and the White King…"Ritsuko murmured with a sigh. One headache down; another one to go. And that headache was in the youth form of Shinji Ikari. "Once a carrier for Evangelion now a Symbol of Hope to the world…."

Katsuragi would only nod in agreement. "Have BM-03 moved towards Quarantine immediately." She stated, getting several stares from the crew. "Do it. And have Prod on standby with Archial and Unit-05."

* * *

Shinji sat silently at the large window, overlooking the skyline and red sea with shock, curiosity, and even a bit of fear. "This…. It's an Evangelion!" He murmured with realization, listening to the loud humming of the 'Hirnstramm Control Tower.' "… An Entry Plug system. That's where we are…."

Suddenly, he heard loud creaking and looked to see the Tower exist back down, Katsuragi's gaze solely on him. And only him.

"And here we go…." He murmured as the young nurse and several guards moved to him.

* * *

**Quarantine Deck, Interrogation Cell-001**

Shinji sat silently in a metal chair, flexing his fingers and arm while Ritsuko glanced from him to her computer. In between his room and the room she and Katsuragi were in was a thick glass screen, which acted as a screen which darkened and revealed a display of the Wunder; more specifically her underbelly Reactor Core. "Take a look at this."

"Interesting, so you've jacked Unit-01 into your ship, the um..?"

"Wunder." Ritsuko clarified. "AAA Wunder."

"Right, right the Wunder. You've jacked the Unit-01 into the Reactor Core to power the ship and her weaponry." Shinji finished, watching the screen slowly pan out to reveal Unit-01 surrounded by Nullification Blocks, the Reactor encasing, and finally the many tubes that connected to the Reactor and Wunder itself. "I got to say it's a clever way to hide and use and Evangelion."

"Yes, and most of all a means to keeping it from combat." Ritsuko explained. "Anyhow, let me explain another reason as to why you can no longer pilot." She pulled up another image, revealing a display reading 'Deep Synchronization Level: Ikari, Shinji. BM-03.' "This is detailed analysis of your Deep Synchronization Levels from being in Unit-01. At the moment, it remains as 00.00% though there is a… _extremely_ thin, tiny possibility that you could activate any EVA ever again."

"Oh great…" Shinji grunted, rubbing his neck as the screen returned to glass. He blinked._ Wait… Wait a minute-wait, wait, wait! Wait a whole fucking minute! Am… Am I…. Am I getting SAD over not pilot Evangelion? _"Oh, God please no…. I'm becoming like fucking Asuka…."

"What was that?" Katsuragi looked to him with Ritsuko as he shook his head.

"N-Nothing… So please doc, uh continue."

"Yes, um…. Right! While this is good for your desire to no longer pilot Shinji we cannot overlook the fact the Unit-01 was able to reawaken for 12 seconds during Operation US." Ritsuko gestured her hand up, sending another image up; a video of Operation US. Shinji had to squint, but he could indeed make out a sharp, thin beam of light escaping a black cross object.

"Unit-02 is atop I'm assuming?"

"Indeed. And because of this we have created the DDS Choker and ADS Sleeve are for." Shinji looked toward the glove, before rubbing the choker with his uncovered hand.

"So that's what they're called." Something was wrong; it felt wrong to Shinji all of a sudden. What was this? All of this security and weapons trained on him? It couldn't be a coincidence. Not to mention the Ritsuko spoke about the Choker and Arm Sleeve. Her tone was… happy? No… it sounded relieved if anything.

_Interesting_, he thought as Ritsuko continued. "Think of the Choker as insurance and the Sleeve as protection."

"From what?"

"From _yourself._" Now that caught his attention. "It's, unfortunately, our only current means to preventing any other Evangelion's from awakening; a sort of symbol to punish humanities mistrust in you. In this sense, in the event you fail to control your emotions, and the risk of any sort of Evangelion awakening the Choker and Sleeve will-"

"Kill me, I assume?" Ritsuko winced at that while Katsuragi backed off the wall. Shinji narrow his eyes. "Never assumed you to be a killer like this, Katsuragi."

No response.

"Very well. Keep silent." Now he knew what was going on fully: he was clearly _not_ in NERV just as he presumed, and he could not easily make the lines between Misato's group and him; them versus him. "Hmm…"

"You know, ? You seem to be taking this well." The girl from before, who personally escorted him to his new quarters, spoke up.

"When you fight aliens from outer space hell bent on obliterating all of humanity with you piloting the equivalent of a giant robot humanoid that forces its own pain on you, you tend to lose a lot of care for your own safety." Shinji responded. "By the way, who in the world are you? You're too damn familiar for me _not_ to recognize."

"I am Second Lieutenant Sakura Suzuhara," the girl said with a smile. "Your personal assigned officer for your stay on Wunder.

"Suzuhara…. Now where have I….?"

* * *

**Flashback**

"_I want you to hit me."_

"_What?"_

"_We have a score to settle and I want you to settle it with me."_

"_This is stupid."_

"_Just hurry it up Shinji!"_

"_Don't you fucking rush me, Toji! Now stay still so I can see where to inflect the most pain possible."_

"_Wait, that wasn't part of the-!"_

_PUNCH!_

**End Flashback**

* * *

"Suzuhara… As in Toji Suzuhara, which makes you be definition… his younger sister?" Shinji watched her nod slowly before he broke. He jumped to the floor, catching her off guard as he bowed in shame. "Forgive me! Had I known then that you were still in the building when Sachiel the Fourth hit I would have tried to get away, but stupid NERV didn't teach me how to pilot and-and-an-!"

Sakura giggled. "It's perfectly fine. Besides, my legs are finally healed!" Her smile slowly faded. "And, thanks for being Toji's other friend. God knows Kensuke drove him mad then and even now still…"

"Glad to hear old jock face is still kicking dirt." Shinji remarked, standing up to get a better look as Sakura. "You know… Come to think of it, if anything I'd actually assume you were his older sister…."

"We don't have an older sister, why does everyone have that idea?!" She cried. "Anyways, I'm only 26!"

If Shinji had a drink, he'd have spit it out by now. "26?! You look like a high school freshman! I don't believe this…. How do you look so young?"

"Because, you dumbass it's been 15 years since Zeruel the Tenth Angel attacked Japan and destroyed the Geo-Front." A voice said, and it send shivers down the Third Child's spine.

"Do I dare to turn to the window….?" He steadied himself as footsteps rushed forward and opened his eyes in time to see a fist sailing at him, stopping dead in its tracks when the glass wall crack under pressure. "Hi, Asuka…."

"Still no good. Can't keep it under wraps… and to think 5 years ago I didn't bother to…." Asuka muttered, pulling back to leg Shinji see her for the first time.

She seemingly hadn't changed: red hair with Entry Plug A-10 Clips in her hair, her red Plugsuit which had small stiches all across the frame, and a cap she now begrudgingly clutched in her other fist. The onyly true chance she had was the black triangular eyepatch she kept over her left eye.

"I assume now you have a reason to let it out with me here, huh?" He asked.

"Glad to see you came back in time to let me release all that pent up rage." She snarled.

Shinji huffed. "Same old, same old…." He groaned.

"I'd be worried if I were you; that was only the tip of the iceberg of rage I have for you…" She continued before he interrupted.

"Great…." He groaned, before steadily looking at her left eye. "Your left eye…. It's from Bardiel I assume?"

"You can say that. It's also none of your damn business." Came the sharp reply, and Shinji reluctantly left it at that for another topic.

"So tell me, how are all of you so _young_? If 15 years have indeed passed,you'd be in your late twenties, right?"

"Yes… The Curse of EVA is to blame for it." Asuka said, getting an eyebrow raise from Shinji.

"Curse of EVA? What is that; a 20's emo rock band?" Nothing. Not even a giggle. "Jeez, tough crowd. Anyways, where is Rei at? If I'm out here then that means she must be too!"

"That is what we're trying to figure out." Ritsuko called. "As far as we know, only you got pulled out of Unit-01."

"I… I see…." Strange, he thought. Naturally I'd assumed Rei would have been out before me or they're working on it. But it seems as if they don't care. Weird, most groups with EVA pilots usually get a lot out of it. "What about Shiro?"

The moment the name left his mouth, Asuka snapped. She slammed her fist into the cracked window before storming out the room in anger. Shinji steeped back, looking to Ritsuko whose eyes narrowed and Misato who tensed suddenly. "Shinji Ikari," Katsuragi started, standing up fully. "Rei Ayanami doesn't exist. And… your brother is dead."

"_What_?" Shinji blinked. "Say-Say it again."

"Dead, Ikari. D-E-A-D: _**Dead**_."

D….Dead?" He struggled suddenly to stand, feeling his stomach now twisting inhumanly as he fell back. "No…. No, no, no, no…. Shiro, he… He can't be dead. I don't believe you!"

"At this point, I could care less." Katsuragi stated, pulling something out of her pocket. Shinji reeled away from the area, worried that in her hand was a pistol ready to fire. In reality, it was Shinji-no, _Shiro's_ old S-DAT gifted to Shinji before they were split by Gendo. "Here."

"What… What is this?" Shinji asked.

"After Operation US, we thoroughly checked Unit-01 and it's Entry Plug." The S-DAT slid into the room via a drawer from the other. "We found nothing but music on it with no problems, so you can have it back."

"No…" Shinji pulled it out slowly, feeling its plastic form before clutching it to him closely. He promised himself once not to cry, to force that emotional crap aside for his future. But now…. What could he do? Shiro was his only family, and by the looks of it no one else would be here for him.

He was on his own again. "Don't leave, me Onee-San… Not again, damn you…" He whispered, not caring at the stares the three gave him. Sakura and Ritsuko felt nothing but pain and sadness for him; Misato felt nothing. Not even a pinch of regret at that she said.

Not anymore, that is.

Suddenly, an explosion signaled everyone's attention. Katsuragi moved to the wall, pulling out a wall phone. "Katsuragi to Bridge, what's going on down there?" Silence, before she looked to Ritsuko. "It seems we still have company, and their strongest card yet."

"Forget about repairs! Focus all firepower on the Mark.09!"

"_Ikari Shinji. Where are you_?" Shinji lifted his head. The voice, stoic and passive as ever came to him with the speed of a hammer as his heart pulsed with joy.

"Rei…. _Rei_? Rei, I hear you where are you?!" He yelled, slamming his fists into the glass.

Katsuragi and Ritsuko began moving, with the later shutting the glass screen off in place of a wall. "D-Dammit!" He roared, going silent as he hear it- hear _her_ talk.

"_Shinji Ikari, where are you?"_

"Rei, I'm here! _REI!" _His final scream got one hell of a response. The wall beside him exploded, sending him and Sakura back as smoke rushed out. Shinji's eyes widened at the large fist now embedded into the wall, and head not far behind it. "That helmet, it can't be! Unit-00?!"

"_We have extreme damage on the starboard hull!"_

"_Hull fissure across the 2__nd__ decks!"_

"_Emergency barrier walls closing!"_

"_Pilot Ikari Shinji, please come with me." _The eye of Unit-00 enhanced on him, its fist opening for him.

"Don't you dare, Shinji!" His eyes narrowed as he looked to see Katsruagi standing on her room side, glasses cracked to reveal her gaze. "Stay right there or I swear to God I'll-!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I can't hear you other the sound of me not_ caring_!" He rebutted. "Besides, you're probably planning to kill me anyhow!"

"That isn't-!"

"I can't pilot for you anymore, _bitch!_ You don't need me!" Shinji screamed. "What could I possibly be needed still for?!"

"For protection! We can protect you from this!" She yelled back.

Shinji _laughed_ at her, and it made her blood boil. "You can barely protect yourselves and this derelict of a ship you've got, how can you actually assure me of that?" A sudden explosion caught his attention, and he watched at Wunder's support ships began firing at Unit-00, though they did not real damage. "What the hell are you doing?! Stop, that's an Evangelion your firing at!"

"Exactly the point, Ikari!" Ritsuko called from behind Katsuragi. "That's what we're trying to protect you from!"

"From EVA?!"

"From _NERV_, you fool!" Katsuragi snapped. "And we will do _whatever_ it takes to destroy NERV and NEVEC!"

Shinji gasped before he narrowed his eyes. "I fucking knew it, you _aren't_ part of NERV are you?!" He questioned.

"Why would you assume us to be NERV?!"

"Oh I don't know-maybe because of the teeny tine fact you have _EVANGELIONS_ in your fucking army!" He roared.

"We left NERV years ago; we are WILLE, a UN sanctioned military with the goal to destroy NERV and NEVEC!" Katsuragi growled.

"Impossible! I don't believe you, Misato! How do I know you aren't lying?! That _has_ to be Rei in that EVA!" Shinji argued.

"That's not her, Ikari! Listen to reason!" Katsuragi pleaded.

"To hell with that!" Shinji screamed back. "If that's the case then is it a DEVIL System?! Or a Dummy Plug?"

Katsuragi didn't respond, simply gritting her teeth in place. It was an answer to Shinji on its own, however.

"Damn this! And damn you for thinking I should trust you, _Katsuragi!_" Shinji screamed, rushing up to the Mark.09's palm. "Rei, let's blow this joint!"

"Wa-Wait, Shinji!" The Third Child turned to Sakura, who gave him a pleading stare. "Please I know you want answers! And you'll probably get them! But for the love of God, _don't pilot Evangelion anymore!_ Seriously, give it a rest would ya?!"

Shinji went silent. "I'll try to!" He replied, crouching as the giant hand enclosed on him.

"Stop that EVA! Don't then her take the Specimen!" Katsuragi cried out as the Mark.09 began to stand upwards. As it did, Unit-08 rushed from the far side of Wunder's hull and began firing a barrage of bullets from its pistol. The yellow helmet crack and broke for a moment before the EVA shook it off, fixing its posture.

"Oh no you don't!" the pilot of Unit-08, Mari, cried out as she jumped up to try and tackle the NERV EVA. And she nearly would have had it not been for a powerful crash which sent Unit-08 reeling back, and enough to make Mari shake form it. "What the hell?!"

What hat crashed into her EVA was a dark, black colored polar opposite Evangelion. This EVA was much more… unique than its predecessors. Gothic black with a head design eerily similar to Unit-01's, though with a large red glass visor covering the eyes. The shoulder were sort of skeleton like with a red interior, and red knuckles to match the red design across the tights and leg 'flesh.' On the back sat a pair of wings with an odd design, reaching down to the feet with a golden halo ring which hovered behind the head.

"_**Miss Makimari."**_ The pilot of the Evangelion stated.

"Armaros, could have sworn you were in hiding after the attack 5 years ago." Mari taunted as NERV Evangelion Armaros fixed its stance.

"_**For a while? Yes, I was. But with the return of another Unit-01 and Shinji Ikari, it only seemed like a perfect time to come out."**_ Armaros stated. _**"Not to mention the fact you got **_**my**_** Wunder off the ground and in the air."**_

"If I recall," Another voice called, and from behind Armaros arose Unit02 Dash with a large Gatling gun replacing the left arm. "You lost command of Wunder after leaking information about Unit-05 to Ikari and SEELE."

"_**Oh it was just a joke!"**_ Armaros lunged forward, sliding forward as Unit-08 tried to throw an arm up. Unit-02 began revving its machine gun, and Armaros jumped up and grabbed Unit-08 by the pylons. **"**_**Any how-!"**_

"Hey!" Mari cried.

"_**Besides, today is the BEST DAY**_**!"** Armaros finished as Unit-02 began firing, ripping into Armaros' "shield" as Mari scream for Asuka to stop firing. Mari screamed as Unit-08 was tossed forward, crashing into Unit-02, causing the pair to crash down onto the lower deck. _**"Anyways, love to stay and chat but we have a Third Child to deliver, so Rei?"**_

Said Mark.09 stood, it's "cape" solidified into a long thruster engine which roared to life. Armaros began hovering as the golden ring glowed, catching up to Mark.09's side as they roared away. **_"We'll be in touch!"_** Armaros yelled as the pair escaped.

* * *

"Oh God, if they only came for Ikari and not Unit-01, then that means he _does_ still have the power to awaken an Evangelion!" Ritsuko cried as the EVA's flew across Wunder and towards the distance. "Misato, quickly! Use the Choker!"

Katsuragi tense and lifted the detonator, eager to use it. But as she about to-as her finger graced the trigger, an image flashed in her head. It was the look Shinji had when she coldly said Shiro was dead, the look of destroyed hope and pure pain made her pause in her tracks.

"Misato!" Her friend screamed, but by then it was too late. The detonator deactivated, its target too far to reach as she brought her arm down. She looked down, clutching her fist as she reentered the room. "Damn…."

* * *

Unit-08 and 02 Dash, meanwhile had recovered and watched as Armaros and the Mark.09 escaped, with Shinji in tow. "Well this just turned into a shit fest." Mari commented. "Eh, Princess? Princess?"

Said red head was glaring at the smoke trail left, before slamming her fist onto her Entry Plug handle. "He's no idiot anymore, that's for sure…" She snarky stated. "He's just like Shiro: a stupid brat!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**

**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel-_**"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 4: To NERV**

"Shinji…. Is it…. No, wait…. Is it…?"

"Ikari-Kun…."

Shinji's eyes snapped as he felt the voices vanish. Sunlight burned his eyes for a second as they adjusted, finding a disgustingly familiar ceiling. He groaned, his hands feeling another familiar cloth which he violently tossed aside. "Stupid familiar rooms and crap…." He moaned. "Hm…."

He rubbed his eyes, looking around to find a familiar face in the shape of an albino blue haired girl, decked in a black and red Plugsuit. "Rei! You are alive, I knew it!" He jumped for joy, before the hours before came back to him.

Wunder, Unit-02 Dash, Asuka, the Choker, Unit-00 rescuing him…. Misato threatening to kill him. "Katsuragi…. You lying bitch…." He growled to himself, looking to his covered arm. For a moment he forgot it was there as he looked down to see his medical shirt had been swapped for another nostalgic memory. "Oh, come on already!"

He was in his casual white shirt, sleeves rolled up with a grey short sleeve underneath with black jeans and white sneakers. The only difference compared to before being his dress shirt was unbuttoned, showing his grey shirt more. "Typical for me to be in this old thing, eh Rei?" He questioned, looking over to her.

_Something is off. Back then she may have been emotionally detached, but she was warming up to me more and more. But now? Now it's different; it was like she never met me at all. This is weird, very weird…._ He thought to himself.

"Please, follow me." She ordered factually, pointing towards the door. "This way."

* * *

The pair left and Shinji quietly followed her towards a large elevator, which led down an angled shaft. Silently the pair rode in the dark as the elevator sounds came around. _What is this, an act? Is this to hide her emotions from Rokubungi? Is Rokubungi even alive after 15 years? _"R-Rei uh, can I ask you something?" Red eyes quietly looked towards him. "I, uh-"

Before he could finish, light flared in the elevator. He gasped at the sight.

Shinji found himself watching clouds float across the sky. In the Geo-Front. Which was supposed to be _underground_.

This made no sense to him, but considering what has happened over the past few hours he wasn't too shocked. He watched at black concrete met blue sky and daylight, and he found himself staring at an inverted concrete pyramid. "What is all…? Oh my God." He gasped as he looked towards the center of the pyramid.

What was once a beautiful green grass landscape was now dark, rough with giant explosion craters and what could only be assumed to be red splats of blood all across. The large diamond shaped lake was filled with Bakelite with the remnants of the actual NERV pyramid having been completely burned apart, with smoke rising out of it.

"This-This is NERV Headquarters?" Shinji asked, turning back towards the sky to see…. "?!"

He blinked; atop the concrete stood a black Evangelion, with two others sitting beside it. He couldn't make out the design of any of the three, only that it held an odd red color scheme across its frame. "Evangelions? NERV still have them?" He questioned before they landed.

Silently they worked through the familiar area rusted away or destroyed by other means; the very first time he saw the NERV logo which was not shredded apart by what he assumed was bullet fire, the escalator where Rei slapped him was empty and cold, the EVA/Cargo Station Hub now rusted with sunlight pouring in, and last but certainly not least, EVA Unit-01's Cage.

The memory of his father calling him a coward grazed Shinji's memories, which only let towards when he first "piloted" Evangelion and got his ass handed to him by Sachiel before killing it. He could barely make out what remained of the observation deck, not completely destroyed.

"Man, it really has been 15 years since then…" he whispered, before a sound caught his ear. It was a soft, calming melody, almost trying to embrace him or comfort him in some way. "What is that?"

As he followed it to the edge of the cage, the name came to him: Ode to Joy, being played in the empty secondary cage, far down. On the concrete flooring, beside a growing _living_ tree, was a black piano with is white haired pianist. He had his head up, eyes closed with a calm, relaxed as he played incredibly well.

What caught Shinji off the most was his appearance; it was the same clothes _he _was wearing right now. And then he opened his yes; crimson, pure red with an odd sense of joy and surprise to them. "Strange…."

* * *

**Undisclosed Area, Old NERV Headquarters**

"What is all of this?" Shinji's eyes momentarily adjusted to the ark before the room was lite by the chamber they stood in. Before him a good few meters away sat a giant egg pod, black with purple linings and the obvious "**13**" slapped on the front. "What is-no, Wait! Let me guess. Another Evangelion?"

"That is correct." _Oh no,_ Shinji groaned as the platform above came to life, revealing a very familiar figure and very familiar emotionless tone. He stood with a red visor over his eyes, with a black long sleeve jacket, a maroon shirt underneath and a beard which now connected to his dark brown hair color. "It's been 15 years, Shinji Ikari."

"Not long enough, _Commander _Rokubungi." Shinji growled, somewhat considering whether or not to try to throw something at the man before him. It only made sense that he'd be still around, it wasn't NERV without its stoic leader. "So do tell me, what is this demon contraption you're developing?"

"This," He gestured to the pod. "Is Evangelion Unit-13, for you and your co-pilot." Another light came up beside Shinji and Rei, revealing a familiar albino from before.

"Well this is new. You're the pianist from before!" Shinji exclaimed as the albino boy smiled at him. It took him longer than he was willing to admit, but it began to all connect: 4-no, 5 Evangelions, at least 3 pilots…. "You want me to pilot Unit-13, don't you?"

"Indeed, and when the times comes you _will _pilot the EVA with the second pilot." Commander Ikari stated turned to probably lea- "_Armaros_."

Shinji blinked in confusion. Several lights suddenly came up, revealing the black Evangelion from before, eyes shimmering under the visor. Atop the horn stood a single figure, dressed in full black with red linings across the chest and sides with an oval shaped helmet across the head. The word "**ARMAROS**" written on it. "Yes, commander?" the voice came, very eerily similar to Shinji's own but with an odd…. Tone to it. "What shall you have me do, sir?"

"I want you and Towart to continue the construction and overseeing of the Angel Carrier as well as the finalization of Sarientodamu and its Mass Production Squadron." He ordered.

"Already on it." Armaros replied, jumping done to the head and then the Entry Plug behind it. "Towart, we got a new job to do…!"

The Evangelion Entry Plug spiraled down and the EVA arose, turning before seemingly disappearing in the dark. Now Gendo was leaving, but before Shinji called him out. "Wait, Commander! Who was that? And what happened to NERV? And why is Katsuragi leading WILLE! And most of all where is Shiro?! Commander!"

Gendo paid no heed; time was now an essence he nor SEELE had left and he'd be damned if it didn't work in their favor. He continued off as most of the light went out, leaving Shinji in the dark, and alone.

And cold.

And hungry.

_God, I need a better lifestyle._ Shinji thought, as he placed a hand to his growling stomach. _Now I have to find out what happened on my own. Wouldn't be too difficult, if it wasn't for the fact this whole place is abandoned and left to rot. Maybe the MAGI can help with that._

* * *

**Central Dogma Control Center, Old NERV Headquarters**

As unfortunate as it was, the Command Center had been seemingly cut off by the Bakelite walls. He mostly assumed it was due Zeruel's assault and when Unit-01 came in to "Get. Things. Done." As he dubbed it. Though a part of him held the idea it was where the Commander had moved offices.

Luckily, giving up was _not_, and he repeat it if he needed to, _not _on his agenda and he easily found his luck in the form of a secondary Command Center.

The room wasn't as lite as the few rooms he'd find but it was enough for him. For the most everything was disabled save for one of the three remaining MAGI systems (the other two oddly stripped apart), Melchior.

The NERV-Battle Net was insane; the entire system was broken down with hundreds of files corrupted or seemingly deleted. Even just pushing a few buttons would send any file he clicked into a frenzy. Luckily the secondary terminal worked a bit better and he easily manage to view what was dubbed the "After NTI Research Log Files".

There were only 4 that caught his immediate attention:

**Unidentified Evangelion entity codenamed "Unit-01" crashes into NERV Geo-Front. Presumed Blade of Longinus found.**

**Evangelion ARMAROS Project finalized and prepared for departure. Activation on July 18, 2020.**

**Anti-NERV Organization NEVEC breaks off from UN Anti-NERV Force WILLE. US Council gives NEVEC leadership and power to Warrant Officer EVA pilot Shiro Ikari, promoted to US Captain.**

**NERV Headquarters is assaulted by joint assault by WILLE and NEVEC. EVA Cap. Shiro Ikari is presumed killed by WILLE Captain Misato Katsuragi.**

That last one made Shinji tense with all the more rage. He knew she always had a worst case scenario side to her, but he NEVER assumed Misato would go as fast to kill his own brother. Then lie to his face about it!

It took everything in him to not punch the computer or scream at the top of his lungs with anger. All he could was bit down his tongue and pray the rage would subside as Rei lead him out.

* * *

It was a simple little room he was given: white metals walls and a grey flooring, a clean bed with sheets and a blanket, a phone box with no buttons, a wall compartment which was empty and a metal table.

"Hm, guess the Commander doesn't want me calling the cops on him… If they're still around that is." Shinji joked sarcastically before throwing himself onto his bed. His stomach growled louder and he groaned. "Ngh, fucking Misato…. Couldn't so much as give me any food aside from the "I'm-Going-To-Kill-You-Someday" tray!"

Luck came in the form of a dinner plate made up of colors cubes that tasted like watered down food. Worst part was it wasn't even good food! "Dammit, 30 minutes! That's all I need in the kitchen!" Shinji yelled through the compartment as he slid the empty tray back in. He looked over to the door, fixing his S-DAT to his hip before marching up. "Might as well go looking around a bit more."

And so the Third Child left his quarters, hunting for answers to the past (and better food.) As he did, he passed several key places of memory: a bike station empty, several vending machines he presumed held expired food, and wrecked hallways or previous rooms. "Rei? Rei, if you can hear me I need to ask you for something!" Shinji called, passing through another chamber.

As he did, he froze. He looked around to see EVA Pallet Rifles, Rocket Launchers, and all types of other weapons all lining the walls or hung up. He also could hear machinery running, and it only helped made the uncomfortable feeling he now had grown worse.

It felt disturbing if he had to be honest. He could at times be a hard head like Toji back then, but he had feelings like any person did. NERV was so creepy compared to before, and now he was alone. At least then he'd pass by technicians or people or the other pilots. Now all he had was himself and his S-DAT that were really familiar to him. Everything and everyone else now felt so alien to him.

"What's this?" After a bit of digging around, Shinji found himself a long tunnel which lead to an overlook station above a gigantic complex he'd never seen before. It was circular in nature, with the center holding several silver pillars in a hexagon patter surrounded by large platforms and odd symbols. In the center of it all sat a pillar larger than the others, completely black with red wires connecting to the lower floors.

As he looked around the chamber, he noticed a small shack alongside the edge, and walking towards it was his prize: Rei Ayanami. "Rei!" he called out, rushing down, though she didn't hear him and entered her room. Once he made it down, Shinji rushed over, ready to converse with the First Child when he froze.

The memories of him leaving NERV, and not even bothering to tell Rei about how or why it happened hit him like a ton of bricks. Not to mention the 15 year gap now between them made it only more awkward for him to just up and question her. "You haven't talked to your first real friend in almost 15 years." He reassured himself. "It's okay; it's Rei! She's won't bite!"

* * *

_**A/N: Hi everyone, I'm really sorry for not being able to upload like I promised last chapter, I've been working to the bone in US class with our EOC on the way. And on top of that, I've been trying to make better choices with how to handle my life and such, and most of all what will come AFTER I'm done with We Can(And Will) Reverse This. I know I was working on Cease to Exist, but I think I'll save that for later-no, I was thinking **_**_way_ **_**back to 2016, back to when I first started...**_

_**Back ****to ****Code Geass.**_

_**I'll leave you guys for**** now on that note. That said, This is the KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hey guys. It's been a bit of a LONG while since I uploaded. You be surprised how many of my friends thought I was just going give up on writing entirely.**_

_**I'm not.**_

_**I'm going to be realistic you guys, I'm trying Okay? I am trying my damn near hardest to continue this story but it's so difficult now. My goals do not match with my desires; I want to continue writing but my mind doesn't want to focus on Evangelion anymore. Writing this story makes me feel so depressed, and it sucks because it makes me feel as it I've failed you guys as a writer and as a creator in general. **_

_**My mind wants to go do different series to write about and I cannot help but feel like I'm at a standstill in my life now, not just because of this but because of everything else in my life. I'm at a point outside of writing, outside of KnightOfZ3R0, where I actually have to worry about my future, and I want to do with my life next year and there on afterwards.**_

_**Which is why I've decided to make something different. I wanted to ask you, the readers, what choice I should take.**_

_**I'll continue on this choice after the chapter.**_

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 5: Kaworu Nagisa**

**Neo-NERV Headquarters**

Below the base of Neo-NERV, Evangelion Armaros casually tugged a large device across the ground through a long tunnel. Its pilot sat silent inside; the cockpit was black, full in darkness as he strived forward. His mind pondered onto what had occurred over the few hours, what had to be done, what would soon be his.

He loathed the name he was once given, how it held him back and acted as a reminder of his past variations, yet now he saw it as a symbol; a symbol of hell incarnate, justice resurrected. And now, his justice was _here,_ and closer than before. Light finally filled the cockpit, and the pilot looked to the sides to see the objective ahead; a large giant of pure power, larger than even his own Evangelion. "Soon, soon I will grasp towards Heaven with Hell. And with both, I shall ascend beyond EVA and Angel, I shall become Ancestral to all." He giggled eerily, his body shivering as he did.

Armaros pulled the large energy cell over its shoulder, walking forward towards the giant vessel. It purged the cell within the red layering across the ship, sending energy across its large hull and wings with an angelic like echo.

* * *

**Shinji's Room**

Shinji sat inside his room, silently questioning what he just did. In retrospect, this was some sort of irony from way back when, when he and Shiro met Rei and her "home." Luckily though, he didn't touch her or see enough, so he had that on his side. Now that he thought of it, however, Shinji pondered if what he asked wouldn't blow, what he assumed was, Rei's cover against Gendo.

* * *

Flashback

"_Rei? Are you in… here…?" Shinji found himself, once more, at a point in his life that seemed very…. Familiar. And it wasn't a pleasant feeling to him._

_Rei. Emotionless. Naked._

"_Good God Rei!" Shinji screams, his voice echoing through the large complex as he turned away with a blush. "Put some clothes on…!"_

"_Very well." Was all she said._

"_Why do we always meet like this…?" Shinji murmured to himself, turning back after the sound of a plug suit sealing. He looks to see Rei in a new Plugsuit: black like before with A-10 Connectors in her hair as she stared into his direction, stoic as ever. "Well anyways uh... I wanted to thank you, for saving me back on the Wunder with your friend Armaros."_

_Rei's eyebrows furrowed at the name. "Armaros and I are not allies." She stated with a unique tone. Something Shinji didn't recognize at first. Was it… anger?_

"_Oh I see. Um forgive me for not realizing that." Shinji apologized with a short bow, looking back to Rei, emotionless like before. Man, this is awkward Shinji thought to himself before continuing. "I see you guys have got a uh… new Plugsuit! I got to admit it looks breathtaking on you. N-Not that you didn't look breathtaking in your first Plugsuit, it's just that this once brings our your, um… character. Yeah, character."_

_God, what the fuck is wrong with me? Shinji thought as Rei stared at him still. God I sound like a child with a crush on somebody. Heh, though that's ridiculous. Me? In love with Rei? Yeah right…._

"_Anyways, I wanted to ask you a few questions in regards to… everything." Shinji started, leaning on the wall as Rei studied his movements. "Do you know why... Katsuragi is going up against NERV?_

"…"

"_What is Commander Ikari trying to do here?"_

"…_."_

"_What happened after the 10__th__ Angel's assault on the Geo-Front?"_

"…_.."_

"_Okay then tell this Rei." Shinji walked forward, stopping close to her face. He could feel the breath from her lips over his own mouth when he asked his next question. "Where is my brother? Where is Shiro?"_

_Rei's eyes seemed to shimmer for a brief moment; they held now a sense of life as she took in a deep breath. "I do not know where Shiro Ikari is." Was all she said, looking down. It made Shinju surprised, to see her doing this it was… rare. Very rare. And yet it felt so…. Alien to him._

End Flashback

* * *

"That wasn't no act, it's like she's forgotten everything." If there was one thing Shinji didn't enjoy, it was facing the music; the harsh reality that was now that this Rei Ayanami wasn't the one he knew back when NERV was active. As much as he heated to admit it; he knew it was the truth. The way she spoke, the way she displayed "emotion," all of it lead to that. And the fact she never bothered to even so much as mention Unit-01 or the 10th Angel battle helped prove it.

His mind suddenly flashed back to Armaros, and his body chilled. The way Armaros spoke, and the Evangelion he (or she) piloted were…. Very familiar to him. The same familiar he felt when VEELE was introduced to the group.

_If Armaros isn't Rei's ally, does that mean he doesn't work with Gendo_? Shinji thought to himself. _Or could it be that Aramros is the one actually in charge; personally leading the charge with Gendo acting as a figurehead for what remains of NERV? And better yet, who IS Armaros? The pilot? The Evangelion? An A.I like Prodigium?_

* * *

**Undisclosed location**

The Ex-NERV Commander gendo Ikari stood beside old Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, both looking at the many black monoliths surrounding them. They all held the same design; a red mist hovered inside each one, with the same triangular sigil with the snake wrapped over an apple with a single word in the center.

SEELE.

The name was well known before the NTI by the US and UN; a secret council of the world's most powerful men, once fourteen before finally seven. A wisemen's council; the Illuminati; Anonymous, all nothing more but titles to SEELE. And yet now, the name stood as a taboo against man; a group of demons who fed only more power towards Armaros and his subordinates, Gendo and Fuyutsuki.

"No word from SEELE, I suppose?" Fuyutsuki assumed. The Council had remained silently, at times speaking sometimes solely and _only_ towards Armaros, and others times to Gendo himself; to reprimand him, to order him, to question him and his actions towards Instrumentality. "And yet still, they move to maintain this…. Plan of theirs?"

"Yes, in the end there is now reason for them to speak." Gendo replied, glaring at the sigil across the 'leader' of SEELE, Lorenzo Keel. "Though Human Instrumentality has ultimately failed, the Rehabilitation Venture will bring forth their next scenario."

"Does this mean you plan to use Unit-13 for the next move?" Silence was the response, and it was enough to confirm Fuyutsuki's hypothesis.

The problem they now faced wasn't Armaros or Unit-13 for that matter; the Evangelion itself was finalized and ready for activation. The problem resided in the soul _within_ Unit-13, and what could happen if it discovered the power at its fingertips. "Very well then, I shall all but watch from the sides as your plans come to fruition. For Yui's sake at least."

_I can only pray your sons will fix the world we wronged so horrendously._ He finished to himself.

* * *

**Unit-01 EVA Cage, Neo-NERV HQ**

Shinji steadily thought to himself as he entered the rusted Cage, pondering on still as to Rei and Armaros' relationship. Were they siblings? Lovers? Did they have a fallout? Was it opinions? Or maybe, probably most likely, Evangelion getting in the way. He vented his frustration out onto the metal sidewall. "This is getting me nowhere! And since I'm stuck in this God forbidden base, I can't ask anyone about what the hell happened so long ago!" He growled, falling to a wall and slowly collapsing to the floor. "All I wasn't are answers. Is that so much to ask for….?"

_It probably is now that I think about it,_ Shinji told himself, pulling out his S-DAT. Before he hit play however, a familiar tone came out from the sky. "Huh?"

It was the piano. Just like before when he first arrived, angelic, calming, and peaceful even. He stood back up, stretching before walking over to the edge to see below. It was the white haired boy from before, looking up and waving to him.

He waved back. "Come down here, Shinji!" the pianist called out with a tone of fervor. "Let us talk!"

* * *

**Lower deck, Unit-01 EVA Cage**

Shinji sat silently before a large black Yamaha wooden piano, sunlight glowing on its frame as the wind blew by. "Hey listen um… Didn't you want to talk with me or something?" Shinji asked, turning towards the albino haired boy's crimson eyes.

"Well, form I've heard musical duets can act as our dialogue." He replied softly. "Please, do give it a try why don't you?"

"Oh! Um, look I don't know…" Shinji bit his tongue. _What is wrong with me? No-better yet, what is up with this guy? _Shinji thought to himself with a soft frown. _He seems so…. Familiar to me. Not to mention how he feels so nice and… friendly to me. Strange, considering everyone has some sort of problem with me or just flat out hate me. You've got me curious, mystery boy._

"Look I don't want to be rude but I can't play anyhow, so I have to pass." He voiced, scratching his head softly.

"You do know it's necessary for us to try and press on, you know change into doing new things and live onwards?" the albino questioned, walking next to Shinji. He felt his heart suddenly jump up his throat as the boy took a seat next to him, pulling his arm around Shinji and placing his fingers to the keys. "Here try this, one thing at a time!"

Slowly, the boy played keys to make a simple, 5 second tone. "All you have to do is follow the keystrokes." He said, repeating the keystrokes as Shinji watches.

* * *

**Meanwhile, below Neo-NERV**

Armaros tensed, before suddenly jerking forward. "AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!" He shrieked, clutching his helmet tightly_. THE MUSIC! THAT FUCKING MUSIC!_ Was all he thought as he held his masked head. _DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT__** FUCKING DAMMIT!**_ He slammed his head onto the control dashboard, a loud crack filling the Entry Plug as he leans back. The music was still going. "Damn you Kaworu Nagisa. Damn you, damn Gendo, damn Rei, damn Shinji, damn SEELE, damn Katsuragi…. _**DAMN SHIRO!"**_

He screamed with rage, slamming his fists onto the controls which send his EVA forward. It lunged forward, punching deep into the large ship multiple times. His screams began to lower into heavy breathes, the beeping in his Entry Plug slowly lowering till it was silent.

The music had finally stopped. "I'll kill them both…. I'll rip their fucking guts out and hang their corpses over the base walls…." He giggled, grinning eerily under his mask before leaning back. "Yeah…. Yeah, what a plan….. I can't to kill them all….. Every…. Single…. Last…. One…."

Fixing himself, Armaros tugged the collar of his Plugsuit, grabbing the controls. He jerked them back, pulling his Evangelion away as he turned back towards the tunnel. "Soon. Soon it will all come to pass. Soon Unit-13 will come to awaken, then I'll hijack it, and kill them all. And then this fucking cycle will be over…. No more cycles…." He repeated, moving forward towards the surface.

* * *

Back on the surface, Shinji and his newfound friend had finished playing the song on the Yamaha piano, not standing at a crossroad to their own respected rooms. "I have to admit, I didn't think I'd be into playing anything after I lost my cello way back when. But you've got me roped into something new, I like it!" Shinji exclaimed with a smile, a real smile that he felt just right with. His friend smiled back as his joy. "I haven't had this much fun since that time Shiro and I pranked Misato with fake beer."

"Me too, I hope to try again with you Shinji Ikari." The albino said, placing his hands into his pockets as they spoke. "Do come by again if you want play another song Shinji. I'd love to play more duets, and you seem eager yourself to play as well."

"Yeah no kidding!" Shinji chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck before a thought came to his mind. "By the way, and forgive me not asking before but, what's your name?"

"Me? Oh, right: I'm Kaworu. Kaworu Nagisa, NERV's previously Fifth Child." Kaworu introduced himself. "And you are Shinji Ikari, bound by heaven and hell to a fate unknown like me…"

* * *

_**A/N: Okay, so here is the idea I was talking about at the start of this chapter. The idea is a vote. A vote done by you, the readers, in regards to what I do from here and now on.**_

_**Vote 1: Vote 1 is simple, I keep going. I keep going and going and going till I finish this fucker and end the Evangelion series. Plain and simple.**_

_**Vote 2: Now if you have read through my previous stories you know that I tend to leave them on a "To Be Continued?" notion. It allows me to plan out and think if I want to continue on with a certain series, and it leaves you guys on a hanger (which I do know how that feels, trust me….). So vote 2 is to leave Evangelion: You Are (Not) Null as a "To Be Continued…?" and delete Evangelion: We Can (And Will) Reverse This and its Rewrite before I move on to another series.**_

_**The next series could be anything: form Cease to Exist (Which I plan to upload to my Amino very soon) Project Reflection (which is a story I worked on not to long after the reveal of Lelouch of the Resurrection way back in 2017, or something different entirely (Maybe Destiny; I've been meaning to do one for a while….)**_

_**I shall allow you guys to choose what you want me to do through PM and leaving suggestions in the reviews. I cannot stress this enough that I want your guy's opinions on where you want this story to go from in the future, so PLEASE give me your feedback. Alright, that's all from me for now.**_

_**That Said, This is KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 6: Truth without Mercy**

"_Shinji-kun….."_

"_Shinji….."_

"_Shinji-kun….."_

"_R-Rei? ... R-R-Rei!" Shinji screamed into the dark. He ran, reaching, screamed and kicked anywhere and everywhere he could. "Where are you? Where are you please tell me….!"_

"_Why…?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Why did you do this to us?"_

"_I don't understand; what do you mean?!" He yelled back._

"_Bardiel."_

"_Vincent."_

"_Asuka."_

"_Rei."_

"_Misato."_

"_Shiro."_

"_Mother."_

"_Stop it! Stop it!" Something grabbed to his leg, cold and wet. Shinji looked down, screaming with terror as the bloody skeleton hand that held him down. More reached out to him, voices rising from the bleeding ground and roaring sky. "No…! No, no, no! I didn't mean to! Stop it! STOP IT!" he shrieked, thrashing as more and more grabbed onto him. "__**NOOOOOOO**__!"_

* * *

Shinji screamed with terror, collapsing out of his bed as he threw off the sheets. His stomach twisted and turned, and before he knew it, the Third Child had rushed out. He vomited out anything inside, a dark red fluid remaining as it dripped off Shinji's lips. "B-Blood? No, oh god no…," He groaned, blinking to realize the liquid was not blood, but _saliva_. "What's happening to me…?"

"_**You're hallucinating,"**_ Shinji turned his head to see Armaros, standing a bit away from him. He could make out his appearance aside from a "dark figure." He wore a black sleeveless trench coat, with his Plugsuit underneath. It was dark, black with dark maroon armor pieces on the hands, knees, and chest. His helmet was oval to an extent, as it was, in reality, an SV helmet with his name lined across the visor. "_**Am I right?"**_

"What the…. How do you…?" Shinji forced himself to strengthen up as Armaros walked up to him, just a bit taller than him. "What are you talking about?"

"_**You're hallucinating; images of people grabbing you? Screaming things at you; maybe even blood at that?"**_ Shinji tensed, stepping back with a worried glare as Armaros brought his helmet right in front of his face. _**"And I know exactly why; you've been out of Unit-01 for too long."**_

"What's that mean- Agh?!" Shinji chocked out a gasp as Armaros lifted him by the collar, holding him off the ground. "Stop it! Dammit, what are you…!"

"_**It means you need to get back into Evangelion."**_

"But I can't! If I do, I could-!"

"_**Who says what WILLE told you is true**_?" Armaros questioned. _**"It's not what happens if you get into Evangelion. What matters is what you **_**do**_** while you're in it."**_

"While I'm in it? The hell does that mean?!"

Armaros pulled him closer. _**"It means, dumbass, don't do anything inside Evangelion. Sit there, listen to your music, talk to Nagia. Hell, play with your thumbs if you want to! Just. Don't. Move. The. EVA."**_He said, throwing him back, before turning. _**"Oh, and tell that albino white head not to play that fucking piano anymore. It's getting on my nerves!"**_

Shinji gasped, coughing as Armaros seemingly stormed off. "What- cough, cough- the hell was that all about?" He wheezed, punching his chest to get out air.

* * *

**Unit-01 EVA Cage, Neo-NERV HQ**

"Oh good morning… Shinji?" Kaworu blinked in surprise as the Third Child walked up to him. His shirt was dirtied and he looked slightly pale. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"No, no. I-I'm fine, Kaworu really. Just had a scuffle with a certain… prick." Shinji explained, smiling at his new friends worry for him. After a few minutes of talking, the pair began playing once more. Maybe it was the joy of the music, or maybe just to mock Armaros' earlier warning, but it brought peace to Shinji after his… episode.

When Kaworu looked to his side, he was glad to see Shinji wasn't as pale as before. He looked better, whole again. Just like he should have. Hours passed, and soon he and Shinji laid beside the Yamaha piano and stared up at the night sky. "Do tell me Shinji, have you ever enjoyed starting up at night?" Kaworu asked.

"At times, when I felt down? Yeah, it did help out when Shiro wasn't there…." Shinji replied. He grimaced when he recalled what Katsuragi said about his older brother being dead. He didn't believe it; he couldn't. He needed to see a body before he could accept it.

"Shiro? Who is that?"

"Shiro's my older brother, he used to pilot for NERV's US Branch before he was uh… moved to the main HQ back then." Shinji explained. "There was him, Rei, Asuka, me, Mari, and that…. Veele guy…."

"He sounds special to you."

"Of course he is," Shinji said, looking over to Kaworu with a distant stare. "Shiro was the only real family I had back then. He saw me like I was his whole world, and I took his word. Always putting his life on the line for me, always joking in dire situations, trying to raise a smile out of anyone or everyone…. He was great, still is to me…"

Kaworu found a new sense of interest as Shinji spoke so highly of his elder brother. It seemed like even Kaworu himself hadn't seen the full picture that was Shiro Ikari. _I can't help but wonder now, could he be a clone model? A model for the soul of Sachiel, or Zeruel; like myself to Adam and Ayanami to Lilith?_ He pondered._ Or maybe he is neither… Make like Shinji, he's just a man damned by humanity to death…_

* * *

**Old Unit-01 Cage, following day**

"Here you go, good as new!" Kaworu exclaimed, handing his brown haired boy the S-DAT, headphone wrapped over its frame. Just before the night had ended, Shinji asked Kaworu for a final favor. Having been on Earth longer than he was, Shinji asked if Kaworu could repair his player. It took nearly half the night, but the Fifth Child got it to work and play sweet jazz and loud metal. Overall, it seemed to be working perfectly. "It'll be able to play a lot smoother than beforehand."

"Thank you Kaworu! Has anyone ever said you're the best?"

"Do you count as anyone?"

"Haha, very funny."

"It's no problem, I've picked up things here and there over the years," Kaworu explained, somewhat glad he retained the memories of the life he had. And yet, something was off. He could see his friends smile falter a bit, slightly but enough to raise a question. "You seem troubled. Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh, it-it's nothing, really. Just thinking about all the people I used to know. Aside from the jerks as WILLE…." Shinji said, running a hand through his hair as he looked towards the sky and continued. "I used to go to school here, in Tokyo-03, with a lot of my old friends…."

"Old friends?" Kaworu asked, leaning on his piano.

"Yeah. Above the Geo-Front, Tokyo-03 was built as a safe haven. And a means to keep NERV HQ a secret to the outside world. Lots of people used to live here: Katsuragi, Shikinami, Rei, Toji and his younger sister Sakura, Kensuke, a few other classmates, my brother Shiro, and me. And a good hundred thousand other civilians who worked for NERV." He explained. "And the more I look back on it, the more I worry. I worry about how all of this," he gestured to the rusting EVA Cage pen. "Has changed. How time has become the worst nightmare to some people, and how the people I once called family is… against me."

Shinji sighed in sadness, biting his lip. Truth be told, Shinji's memories came and went at times. There were times he could recall memories and details down to the point, and other times the people he knew as friends just blurred in his eyes. The worst part though was his shirt. The shirt he wore wasn't just some plain stupid shirt; it belonged to someone, someone he knew very well.

It belonged to Toji. His friend.

He could only guess why he had this shirt, and he prayed it wasn't his first guess. Yet a part of him argued it was, and it was the truth he dreaded.

"The changes did to Earth scare you, yes? There too much for you to handle; you're in pain, denial even?" Kaworu's voice was emotionless as he spoke, almost as if he dreaded having to speak this conversation. Shinji couldn't blame him.

"Yes, I worry for my old friends, enemies or not! I worry for the people who live here, who live now…." Shinji felt his body shake as he spoke, tears threatening to rise. "And even now I-I've begun to lose myself…. I-I see dead people in my sleep, Kaworu… My once great, cocky attitude has been reduced to a hollow shadow of who I was… I see God, Gods of rage and death burning apart the world I love and it-it….. It fucking terrifies me!"

He screamed into the air, his pain and rage taking over. Everything he'd done, everything he worked for seemed to have almost been for nothing. He felt weak; helpless. And he hated the feeling it brought. It reminded him of when he was told Shiro was dead. It reminded him of the gut-wrenching image of Unit-00 and Rei being swallowed by Zeruel. It reminded him of… of…. Of!

He snapped.

Shinji screamed louder than before, and Kaworu could only watch in pain as his friend vented his agony. He began forward, walking to Shinji as he fell to his knees, fists dug into the ground. "Do you want to know?" Was all he asked.

His heart clenched at Shinji's response.

* * *

**Neo-NERV HQ Outer Layers, Old Geo-Front**

Shinji felt the air around him flying him in all directions, but he held onto the chain beside him for dear life. He'd taken with them a Bio-suit, as his body wasn't accustomed to the altitude they stood at as Kaworu said, and moved slowly as the Fifth Child casually walked disappeared into the clouds.

"Shinji! Down here!" he heard him yell, and the Third Child moved faster, nearly slipping at the end. He found Kaworu standing atop a rusted metal platform, standing simply with hands in his pockets as he spoke. "Here the clouds with disperse. Then you will be able to see just what has become of your home."

Slowly, grey and white mixed, roaring away as the sky became blue. And as it did, and the world revealed itself in the broad day, Shinji's chest grew only heavier. "Oh my God." Was all he said at the sight.

The moon stood far, across space in the distance, with red stains of blood and red square formations stretching across it. Slowly, Shinji's eyes cast downwards, taking in both the breathtaking and utterly terrifying height they stood at.

NERV HQ wasn't in the Geo-Front like Shinji remembered. Instead, it sat in the lowest depth of a giant inverted pyramid they stood on, hovering in the air via a single, giant metal shaft that ran into the ripped open surface.

The familiar red crosses of Angels sat across the landscape, like markers of death across the red, desolated surface. A giant river of blood stood in the distance, surrounded by what Shinji could only describe being a red jaw, with hundreds of explosion craters all across it. "What-What the hell is this?" Shinji whispered.

"This, Shinji, is the result of your ascension with Evangelion Unit-01. This is the aftermath of Near-Third Impact." Kaworu said, his eyes narrowing at the sight.

"You mean… I did this….? All of it, I…. I-I….. I did this…." Shinji could barely talk before Kaworu continued.

"You know Shinji, the Earth is no stranger to worldwide extinction level events like this one. The First Impact killed the dinosaurs, Second Impact killed thousands for humanity, and here we stand with Third Impact. And yet it is through those events that we as a race evolve, continue to grow. Lilim, or rather humans as we call ourselves, differ from viewing this natural event, so they seek to challenge it; to twist it in their favor. So that when the masses grow fearful, they have a way to get out; a way to live on in the past."

"One group that falls under this category is SEELE, led by Lorenzo-no, _Zarth_ Keel now." Kaworu corrected himself. "They are known by name names; the Wiseman's Council, the Illuminati, the Anonymous, the UN Council, but they are known for their greatest achievement, and humanities greatest disaster. The Human Instrumentality Project."

"The what?"

"The Human Instrumentality Project, or rather the Human Recalibration Venture as they're calling it now; a plan created by SEELE to become Gods through Evangelion by fusing their souls into EVA and destroying humanity in favor of a much more… evolved version. Your father, however, used SEELE's trust for his own benefit, his own version of Instrumentality."

"So this is all his fault…. Rokobungi, you bastard…" Shinji snarled, teeth bare with more rage than he'd ever felt in his life. "So wait… Wait a minute! If that's the case, then what is Armaros meant to be?"

"Listen to me Shinji." Kaworu continued. "When Unit-01 woke into a "Pseudo-Evolved State" as it was dubbed, it created the Gates of Gulf; a dimensional gateway to one of the many space array stations created by the Ancestral Race."

"The Ancestral Race?"

"The Originals. The first real race to ever exist in the universe, they are responsible for creating Adam, the Angels, and humanity itself. Through this gateway to Guf, Unit-01 was retrofit to becoming the catalyst for Third Impact. But, Gendo had different plans; he wanted to get to Guf for his own gain and needed to know that he could control Evangelion still, keep it under his sleeve even during these dire times. So he had Armaros built, 'The EVA Killer' it was called, murdered by the hundreds under the command of SEELE and NERV. All of this, all this death and destruction was all thanks to _**you**_; you and your wish to be loved still by another."

Shinji's heart seemingly exploded as his emotional dams began cracking more and more. "No…. I didn't want this! I didn't want it for anyone, I-I just wanted Rei to live!" he cried, falling to his knees. "I didn't know, dammit! I didn't know, I didn't know…"

He sobbed, tears clouding his vision as he cried for what felt like an eternity. Kaworu sighed softly, the guilt of having to reveal this revelation to Shinji made him feel only terrible. "Yet still, you can be considered the trigger man for all this."

"No this can't be right… This has to be a dream; a fucking nightmare…." Shinji whispered, feeling everything crash onto him. Up to this point, he was seen as a threat. WILLE, VEELE, hell maybe even his own father, they all saw him as the world's greatest threat; because in reality, he was. "You can't blame me…. You can't blame me for this! You said this was for nobody else; for ME and for ME alone! Had I known I would have stopped… I would have died… I SHOULD have died I…. I…."

"I understand your pain, Shinji. And I understand you did now want to forsake this future to everyone you love." Kaworu walked towards Shinji, kneeling to his meet his level. Shinji stared back through tearful eyes, and Kaworu pulled him forward into a hug, letting him sob only more as he did. "But the truth is that this is a reality, this _is_ real. And as a result, those you love have either pass on or have come to hate your being; it's the reason you wear that bomb around your neck. The reason you wear that explosive over your arm."

"They're my sins…. They're meant to kill me for my sin of damning humanity, is that right?" Shinji asked, letting go and letting gravity pull him to the ground. "What have I done… What am I even….?"

"I can only guess the Lilim don't see your agony, nor your reasoning's for this. Like father, like son; they believe Gendo had you purposely do this sin in his favor, to win over SEELE and humanity." Kaworu said, standing up with a glare to the world. "Yet, there is hope; sins are not meant to remain, Shinji. They can be healed, atoned by the sinner. Do not forget that, Shinji; there is always hope."

* * *

**Command Office, Neo-NERV HQ**

Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki watched as the pair left the observation deck. They listened, studied Kaworu and Shinji as Third Impact was revealed. It pained the aging professor to see his brightest student's son like this; this very form shattered into a shadow of himself. Gendo watched in silence, somewhat happy this happened. Shinji's guilt was edging him closer and closer to his plan, everything was truly falling into place.

Now remained the final problem: Armaros-no, the _pilot_ of Armaros.

"It appears SEELE's once dull puppet is no longer dull. He finally spoke with the Third Child, going further than beyond to reveal the reality of the world's situation to him." Fuyutsuki kept silent as Gendo spoke, giving silent prayers to Shinji's broken mind as he spoke.

"I can only fear how his response will be; to piloting Unit-13 with Nagisa. And with the evidence pointing to Katsuragi's hand in killing Shiro, it will only get worse." The professor said, watching his once prideful student rise from his seat. "Are you certain this is wise, Ikari? Even with Nebuchadnezzar's Key in hand, there's no doubt that Keel and Armaros will realize your actions-"

"As if the fools can do anything about it. Besides, it doesn't matter…" Gendo said, opening the case and removing the thin glass key. The shimmering outline of the human nervous systems glowed in the room as he spoke. "In the end, SEELE's scenario will end and mine will be complete. Recalibration shall come in my favor."

"And even now, you still believe keeping all of this from your youngest is best?"

"Yes… Or rather, I do not really know. I cannot truly say…" A part of Gendo wanted to bring Shinji into his plan; to reveal his desire to reunite them with the woman they loved. And yet as he did, the memory of Shiro trying to shoot him burned still in his mind. _Forgive me, Shinji…. But my sins must be cleansed, and if that must mean the death of all humanity, and you even, then so be it. For Yui's sake, you, like your brother, must die._

* * *

**Shinji's Room, 2 weeks later**

Shinji held his legs close to his chest. He'd cried his eyes out for God knows how long, bloodshot and barely able to see in the dark. He couldn't sleep, couldn't walk, and wouldn't even eat. Every time he did, the image of the red Earth returned to him. He was incredibly pale by now, his breathe cold and ragged as if he'd run miles.

"I didn't know…" his voice was pained, raspy and dead. "I didn't do it…"

The door opened, and he lifted his gaze as a shadow loomed over him. _**"Yes, you did."**_ The cold voice of Armaros spoke, gloved hands taking him by the collar. _**"And you played the fucking piano again."**_

"Armaros…." He couldn't even find it in him to cry, to beg for mercy. "I did… didn't I? I _did_ play the piano…."

"_**Yes. And now, we're going to have a nice chat about it."**_ Was all the helmeted pilot said, dragging Shinji out his room.

* * *

**Ayanami LCL Complex, Neo-NERV HQ**

Rei-Q felt her body waver in the LCL, her mind let open to the darkness and ease Shinji Ikari had gifted her with. And yet, even with the peace and clarity, it never dawned on her why he spoke of her in pretense.

Why he always spoke about the 10th Angel, Zeruel and the battle that ascended Unit-01 into its catalyst state. Nevertheless, she accepted the boy's feelings towards her, "naïve just as before" as Kaworu had bluntly put it. As much as she loathed being one-upped by the Fifth Child, she couldn't help but agree-

Rei-Q felt her body jerk all of a sudden, and her eyes opened to find… nothing.

No lights, no orange glow of LCL, no giant complex chamber; nothing. Just the void. The cold, dark, empty void.

It felt disturbing. Her body began to grow heavier and hotter, slowly burning up. The burning began to grow faster, and she bit her tongue as it grew worse. She gasped, feeling another jerk to her stomach and sending air bubbles out. Another jerk sent her against the glass and she screamed as the burning pressure went from substantial to the most extreme pain she'd ever felt. Her arms felt like they were on fire, her chest ready to burst at the seams, and her head feeling split in half. She gasped in LCL as bubbled filled her vision, and slowly she began to see everything in front of her.

She was no longer in the same chamber she thought she was- no, instead she found herself in a place she didn't recognize. Black and red checkered flooring, and atop it stood Commander Ikari with another woman, blonde with a lab coat as they stared before a large red and black Entry Plug. The side of the Plug read, _**"EVANGELION TEST DUMMY SYSTEM: REI."**_

_What is this…? Help me…._ She tried to cry out for help, but nothing let her mouth save for air bubbles.

"_A fake is all it is, Dr. Akagi. A replica of the original, such is the same as the other Rei's after the original. A machine able to mimic the will of a human, and with the finalization of the Devil Systems through the Americans, we will have another falsehood at our side." Commander Ikari said, walking around the shadow of the Plug that hovered above. "Have this once transferred to Unit-00. Unit-01 will have Devil System Prodigium and Unit-Null shall have Devil System Zathura. All we need is the EVA to think a person is inside it and synch with little to no effort._

"_We'll need to have all data input into all EVA's during the passing week, excluding Unit-04 respectively." Dr. Akagi explained, turning to leave. "But there is the problem that we have noticed in our tests-"_

"_Tests about fake humans do not concern me, Dr. Akagi; all we need is the EVA to fight, nothing more nothing less."_

"_Of course sir. We'll prepare the Matsushiro Base for the arrival of Unit-03 for startup and test runs."_

"_Get it done."_

Rei watched with confusion as the Commander spoke before the burning came back, sharp and fast. Rei-Q screamed at what felt like the top of her lungs as the bubbles burned away at her frame. She felt more and more begin to pour into her head; Unit-00 trashing her body, meeting Shinji Ikari, meeting Shiro Ikari, having feelings… It was so much! Too much, too much for her to handle!

"No more!" She tried to scream. "No more! NO MORE!"

Suddenly, she felt her body be jerked forward and froze right before an image; a mirror, a reflection of… herself? "Rei…" the reflection whispered. "Rei…. Rei…. Rei…. Rei… Rei… Rei…. _**REI!"**_

Rei-Q screamed as her LCL tube shattered, sending her falling forward. She vomited, clutching her stomach as she writhed in pain. "Help-Help me… Help me…. Shinji…." Was all she could make out. "Shinji-kun…."

* * *

**Undisclosed location, Neo-NERV HQ**

Shinji screamed in pure agony as Armaros stabbed into his arms, the metal grinding against his bones. He struggled and shook in the gurney he was strapped down to, trying to pull himself free as Armaros moved. He couldn't see him, but he could _feel_ him; hear him, his presence, it reminded him of when he first fought Bardiel, when he met VEELE, when he was nearly killed over and over by the Angels of Adam.

_**"You know the cute thing about people who come in and out of Evangelion is that their bodies aren't just kept in a permanently ageless body, they develop a sharp healing factor that kicks in at random."**_ He said, wiping a stain of blood off his oval mask. _**"And yet, you, on the other hand, suffer a harsher fate as your healing factor works like that! It moves with the rejuvenation speed of an Angel and can heal large or small wounds at a rapid rate. So you're immortal in a sense, the only thing that can truly give you the pleasure of death either is Longinus or Cassius."**_

"Please… Please, stop…." Shinji sobbed, tears coming down his cheeks as pain crackled across his legs. "_SttooOOOOAAAP_-!"

"_**Don't need this."**_ A loud tear came as Armaros dug out a piece of Shinji's thigh.

"Augh!"

"_**Or this."**_ He cut again, burying it into his shoulder.

"Agggghhh, oh God!"

"_**And especially not this."**_ He shifted and stabbed into Shinji's chest, just barely getting his lung. He twisted his weapon, opening the exposed lung further as Shinji felt blood enter it. He gurgled, choking nearly as Armaos smack his back hard. "_**No, no, no! No dying on me, you mistake!"**_

Mistake. He'd kept saying that over and over like it was supposed to mean something. He called him it like it was his name rather than an insult. "What-What are you…?" Shinji managed out through his cries of pain. "Who are you…?"

Shinji felt his eye become blinded by the light, steadily adjusting as they found where they were. Shinji was indeed strapped to a medical gurney, rusted and bent with sharp points jagging into him. They were in a dark room, barely lit by the silhouette of EVA Armaros's red lightings.

The black and red checkered flooring created a feeling of death in the air as stains of rust and old blood were splotched around where he laid. Armaros walked slowly in next of him, leaning him down to meet eye-to-mask. On either arm was what Shinji believed to be metal wrist blades, solid grey with sharp, bloodied blades at their ends.

Armaros lifted his arms up, letting the blades slid back into his Plugsuit wrists. _**"You want to know who I am, boyo? Do you really want to know?"**_ he asked, in an almost mocking, toying voice. _**"Eh, what the hell? Alright, fine! You talked me into it. I suppose it's only fair; an eye for an eye, I guess. A dead brother for a dead brother."**_

_Dead brother…? _Shinji thought to himself, watching as Armaros lifted his hands towards his helmet. A loud hiss exiting the sides as the "ARMAROS" name faded off, and the helmet gave a click of safety. _What does he mean by that-?_

Armaros lifted it off, letting it drop to the floor as Shinji's eyes widened with terror. Solid black hair fell to the sides of his face, ending above his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing orange, with pale white skin. But it was the face, the face he had that made Shinji struggle only more in terror.

"My real name is _Shinji Ikari_, Biological Modulator-04; the Evangelion Killer." The sick, evil reflection spoke with his own voice, smiling with such an innocent look as he did. "And you and I? We're going to have lots, and lots of fun!"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Prepare for Departure**

**Central Dogma Command Center, Neo-NERV HQ**

Gendo stood alone atop the old bridge, the memory of Zeruel tearing apart the HQ before Near-Third Impact settling for something more recent. The giant head of Lilith sat, held up like an ornament by hundreds of white-skinned corpses, all beheaded. It was like a religious sanctum, it was a place he rarely returned to in mind.

Yet now, it was time. Everything up to this point: SEELE, Evangelion, NERV, Adam, Lilith, Shiro, Shinji, it all added up to this. As long as he could get there, get to Guf, then all final obstacles would be cleared. He'd win, and Yui would be by his side once more. And with Evangelion Unit-01 on tow, they'd lead humanity to the next stage of evolution, lead them to a better tomorrow.

"The last of my covenant draws near, he said," Gendo quoted, staring down the eyeless, grinning face of Lilith. "And now, all shall meet his wrath. Yui, my beloved, soon we shall reunite once again."

His eyes cast down as he pulled off his visor, revealing his blotched, burned eyes. Blinded by another one of his failures, but that now meant nothing to him. "You, a key lost by Adam in their final curse to us." He grinned as he placed the metal casing atop his old desk, the Key shimmering as he opened it with a grin. "You shall be my Key to Guf, and the power of Adam there."

* * *

**Corredor Alpha Omega, Neo-NERV HQ**

"Shinji? Shinji, are you here? Can you hear me?" Kaworu had been walking around for a good while, looking for Shinji. For the past few weeks, Shinji had been cooped up in his room, refusing to leave. And now that he was gone, Kaworu couldn't find him at all! "Dammit, Shinji where are you…?"

He heard a loud scream of pain, and immediately felt the air around him grown colder than before. Another scream echoed through the hallway, and slowly Kaworu began walking towards it, another scream and he began pacing faster.

The final scream and Kaworu tore into a full sprint, clutching the S-DAT in his hand tightly. "Please hold on for me Shinji. I'm coming!" He yelled into the dark, rushing passed anything and everything in his way.

As he ran, he didn't notice Rei-Q leaning beside the wall, watching him go as the screaming grew louder. Her own breath grew sharp, and her senses suddenly fared; something was wrong. "Sh-Shin-Shinji…" She whispered, clutching her side as she pulled herself off the walk, following Kaworu.

* * *

**EVA Armaros Pen Chamber, Neo-NERV HQ**

Kaworu ran and ran and ran, finally finding the last place the screams ended. The one place he prayed never to go to, BM-04's personal quarters. It was like a taboo in the Headquarters not to go near it, hell Commander Ikari himself had foreboded him and Rei from entering, with only himself and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki able to enter.

But he'd searched every single room up to this point, this was it, the last one.

The screaming continued, louder and louder now and the Fifth Child shuttered at the ideas of whatever Armaros was doing to his Shinji. "Shinji? Shinji are you in there?!" The Fifth Child yelled out. Slamming his fists onto the large metal door. "Armaros, let me in! Let him go, now!"

Suddenly everything went silent, and Kaworu froze. Footsteps started up, growing closer and closer before stopping just behind the door. "Sh-Shinji…" the white albino turned to see a struggling Rei-Q walking up to him and the door, clutching her side as she did. "Where… Where-Where is Shinji?"

Suddenly the door began opening, the sound of rusted metal scrapping the floor disturbing the pair as Armaros stood before them, helmet over his head. _**"Ah! I have guests!"**_ He exclaimed, his tone giddy as he spoke. _**"Do come in, come, come!"**_

Kaworu slowly walked in, Rei following as she held onto his shirt. Kaworu gasped at the image before him: Shinji chained to a rusted medical gurney. His wrists and knees were chained to the sides, and he was blindfolded. Cut and scars glowed all across his arms and chest, his chest blanketed with dried blood as he took in heavy breaths of air. The black arm sleeve that went over his left hand was torn off, revealing his pinkish skinned fingers covered in dried blood.

"_**Here he is! The man himself, Shinji Ikari; the REAL Shinji Ikari**_!" Armaros exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the control seat.

"Armaros…. What did you do… What have you done to him?" Kaworu asked in horror.

"_**I told him the truth; the gravity of Unit-01's importance to Gendo Ikari. The truth about why his whore mother left him, his brother and his dead-beat father to die!"**_ Armaros said, crossing his arms. "Now all that's left is for him to decide." He turned to Shinji, ripping off his blindfold.

Shinji's eyes twitched at the light, looking from side to side as he wheezed out dirty air. "K… Kaworu!" he groaned, struggling to speak.

"_**Anyways, I'm done with him,"**_ Armaros said, turning Shinji's gurney towards the doorway. "_**Take him and leave. Let it all sink on him till he's ready."**_

"Shinji-Kun!" Rei cried out, rushing up and nearly collapsing. She pulled herself up beside the gurney, her shaking hands fumbling as they opened the straps. Kaworu did the same with his arms, with Shinji barely recognizing their movements.

"Rei…. You're not… my Rei, are you?" Shinji whispered, slowly rising. Rei winced and, though he didn't see it, gave Shinji a pained look. He looked like a mess; his clothing was shredded, his eyes were bloodshot, and his straight brown hair was now messy with new strands of white. "It's alright, I'm not upset…. Actually, I'm sort of happy you're _not_ her right now…"

"Huh?" Rei seemed confused, but Kaworu's glance told her not to pry any further. Shinji pulled himself off the gurney, body struggling to stand as Kaworu moved to help.

"No, _don't_! I have to travel on this, Kaworu please!" Shinji cried out, making the white albino step back as Shinji gritted his teeth. Seconds passed before found his balance, sighing in relief. "I'm fine…"

"_**Looks like it worked. You got your backbone… well, back. Now get lost!"**_ Armaros growled, raising his hand. _** "I'm tired and your face is annoying to stare at. Start planning out your future, boyo…!"**_

"He's right." The Fifth and First Child looked to the Third, his eyes narrow as he spoke. "I need to think about what we're going to- Oh, hey! My Walkman!"

Kaworu blinked, looking to his pocket to see the S-DAT sticking out. "Oh! Right, I… I saw you weren't there so I decided to bring it, just in case." He explained, handing it to the blue-eyed boy. Shinji looked it over, almost as it not recognizing before putting it in his pockets. It was strange; one minute Shinji was screaming, writhing in pain and the next it was like nothing had happened! "Shinji-Kun, are you…?"

Shinji snapped out of his stare, nodding as he motioned for them to leave. "I'm fine, just… bruised." _That's what he considers a bruise_?! Kaworu and Rei-Q thought in worry, looking his bleeding frame up and down. "Kaworu, I need to be left alone for the rest of the day, so please don't disturb me."

"S-Shinji, are you sure that…?"

"It's fine." Shinji looked to him, giving a sad smile. "I just need time to think. Time to recuperate, time for… peace." With that, he left. The doors to Armaros' room closed as Kaworu and Rei-Q left, in turn, looking disturbed.

The looking Shinji had in his eyes wasn't one of sadness. It was one of despair, regret, pain, and most of all…

Rage.

* * *

**Evangelion Unit-13's Pod, Neo-NERV HQ**

Gendo and Fuyutsuki watched in silence as Unit-13 was pulled out of its large LCL Birthing Pod, blood and LCL flying around the vast chamber as the first Type-13 Evangelion was birthed into the world. Truth be told, Gendo had a deep desire to have the Third Child and Armaros pilot, mostly because he knew how Armaros worked, and being paired with Shinji would kill them both.

But in the end this still worked; his God-Killer was ready to kill the EVA Killer of SEELE, and with the soul now prominently awakened by the arrival of Unit-01 and Shinji, there was no other way that Gendo's plan could fail.

"At long last, Ikari you executor is ready," Fuyutsuki noted.

"Yes, a bit too ready for my taste, but still ready for immediate departure to Terminal Dogma." Gendo was tense on the inside; he recalled just why his eyes were damaged, and the time and costing materials it took to suppress Unit-13's more… extreme behaviors. "It seems the Beast within has finally been tamed, yes?"

The aged professor offered no words as Gendo continued. "Time is no longer on our side, I have no doubt WILLE will detect us and attack soon."

"Shall I initialize the MP EVA Calibration Center aboard Sarientodamu?"

"Don't bother, once this begins our automated systems will initialize, and by then WILLE will be gone with their forces crippled."

"You say this as if we've already won, and yet now with SEELE turning their backs to you and nowhere else to run, you still cling to the hope we will reach Guf." Gendo looked to Fuyutsuki, staring at his mentor under his visor for a moment.

"What more could I lose, Professor?" Was all he asked before making his leave.

"Perhaps more than you can imagine," Fuyutsuki said, watching as Unit-13 began to ascend into the chamber above for augmentation. Even without power, without those glowing eyes, he could feel _him_ staring down in pain. "Forgive me, Shiro…"

* * *

**Shinji's Room, Neo-NERV HQ**

"He wants me to pilot Unit-13 with you?" Shinji repeated, looking at the stoic expression Kaworu now had on his face. "Doesn't he?"

"Yes. Please Shinji, understand that what was done by Unit-01 can be resolved using Unit-13." Kaworu stated, just as Shinji raised his hand. He fell silent as Shinji spoke with a much deader look in his eyes.

"You know I've learned a lot during… the session I had with BM-04. Like the fact you like about being human, _Tabris_." Shinji said, standing as Kaworu winced at the mention of his Angelic name. "And I've also learned how you pilot the Mark.06 and helped end the Third Impact before Unit-01 could… finish the job."

"So I need to know the truth, here and now: Are you on my side? How do I really know that you aren't just buttering me up for that bastard Rokubungi, hm? How do I know I can hold onto your word that Earth will be restored through this?"

"Shinji, I-"

"Don't!" Shinji snapped, sighing as he rubbed his eye. His expression changed from dead to pain. "I'm sorry I can't put all my trust in you, okay? I-I really am! Angel or not, you're a wonderful person to know Kaworu, but… I've been lied to by so many people and the people that were honest to me are either missing, want me dead or _are_ dead."

He stepped back, falling atop his neck as he felt his neck. The hum of the collar as it remained active was now more annoying than it was terrifying after what he'd learned, what he'd remembered when leaving the Wunder. "Besides, knowing Katsuragi she won't hesitate this time, she'll kill me instantly once WILLE realizes Unit-13 is being piloted by me."

"I want to pilot to help the people I made suffer, but I've lost too much because of Evangelion… I'm sorry, I won't do it." Shinji continued, leaning on the far wall as Kaworu took a seat beside him. He sighed as guilt began to rise in his chest, knowing Kaworu would plead for his help. To his surprise, he didn't; in actuality, Kaworu placed his hands on the side of the choker, the bomb giving a beep as it unlocked.

"Does this answer your question Shinji?" Kaworu asked, lifting the choker before putting it aside. "I understand your mistrust in the Lilim, Shinji. But you must know, I'm not like them. I admit, it is difficult to express my emotions in a normal human way, and it is difficult to bear the memories that I'd held onto for so long. But, they helped me understand who you are, why you did what you did, why you mean so much… to him."

He reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a picture of the sort and handing to Shinji. The Third Child hesitated before taking it, unfolding it to be met with a surprise. It was a picture of Kaworu, next to Shiro, Mari, and two others next to them, a boy and a girl. "You… knew Shiro?" he whispered in shock.

"He was the only one who accepted me as an Angel, who understood my reason for existing. He knew the risks, the pain he'd be forced to hold, all of it. And yet he offered me a chance to be at his side." Kaworu explained. "He said that I was possibly one of the few people he'd trust you to be near."

"He… He said that?"

"Yes. He did-" Kaworu felt himself be suddenly pulled forward. Shinji was hugging him, sniffling softly for a moment as he did so.

"Did he… Did he ever change…?"

Kaworu smiled softly. "Every day, every hour was dedicated to finding how to help you." He said as Shinji choked down a sob. The Third Child pulled back, forcing his tears aside as Kaworu continued. "Listen to me Shinji; the only hope of fixing the world, as Shiro and I made out, is through the power of both the Lance of Longinus and the Spear of Cassius. They are SEELE's greatest tools and their greatest fears."

"Of course! Longinus is a weapon of an Angel, of Adam and Lilith; it makes sense that it can cut down A.T Field with ease. If SEELE lost that, they'd had no means to protect themselves against it or Cassius if it works the same." Shinji said in realization.

"Exactly, and with Unit-13's Dual Entry Plug system, we'll be able to fix it all, Shinji! We can become the hope of the Lilim, and atone your greatest sin."

Shinji smiled brightly for what felt like an eternity before a thought came to mind. "But what about Rokubungi? He has his own… scenario with his EVA and the spears, he's still a threat if we're going to pull this off!"

"Don't worry, with our strong desire to fix this world, nothing can stand in our way! All we need now is hope, and with the belief in atonement and justice and composure as our side, we can destroy NERV and Gendo along with it!"

"And finally make him pay for _his_ sins!" Shinji said with a grin. "I mean just… wow, Kaworu! I'm lost for words, you're amazing! You… You're incredible; your passion, your generosity, your trust, and loyalty regardless of the possibilities of our deaths! It's so extraordinary….!"

Kaworu chuckled with a smile. "Only because I'm thinking about you!" Shinji blinked, blushing a bit as the Fifth Child realized what he said. "S-S-Forgive me, Shinji! I might have gone a bit too… you know, um… far…"

"It-It, um it-it's fine, really!" Shinji replied softly, biting his lip too for his blush and now fluttering heart to stop. The comment came out of nowhere and yet…. It made him feel so happy inside. He enjoyed it.

Kaworu stood up, spinning the choker bomb with his hand as he held his other to Shinji. "Think of piloting Unit-13 like playing our piano duet! It will take a moment or so, but we'll get the hang of it in no time." He reassured, pulling Shinji up with a smile. "We can do this Shinji, I know we will."

"Yes, we will." The Third Child nodded with a determined look. "Let's do this!"

* * *

**Terminal Dogma Entrance Point, Neo-NERV HQ**

Evangelion Unit-13 was, in Shinji's eyes, the older brother of Unit-01.

The Shiro Ikari to Shinji Ikari, if you would.

It was a seemingly redesigned variation of Unit-01 that he honestly favored over his previous EVA; dark purple with black, yellow and green color panels all across its large frame. The head now possessed 2 sets of yellow eyes, almost to signal the Dual-Entry Plug system it relied on, with red plating across its oddly designed X-shaped chest. But it wasn't just its height or its overall familiar design choice, being reminiscent to Unit-01.

Not only did it have the new Dual-Entry Plug System, the first of its kind as far as Shinji could recall, but it also used RS Hoppers; small jellyfish designed drones that could emit tiny A.T Fields in any area surrounding Unit-13, making it near damn unstoppable it piloted properly. Now it was just a matter of getting down to Central Dogma, which was a good way down.

Shinji pulled up the Plugsuit, fitting his arms into the sleeves as Kaworu spoke. "So, what's the plan?" he asked.

"Get down there, grab the Spears, get out of Central Dogma, and then find the closest NEVEC base," Shinji said, pressing his wrist button, sealing the Plugsuit over his frame. Unlike before, Unit-13's Plugsuit relied on dark blue top armor pieces with a black design, a red orb centered under his chest armor, and a small backpack built into the suit. "If from what I've read is true, then Shiro was at some point the leader of this NEVEC group. If we can make contact with them, then we can work to stop NERV and WILLE."

"Do you think they'll even listen to us? I mean we are taking a NERV sanction Evangelion, even if they don't realize it at first." Kaworu questioned, stepping out with his own Plugsuit on.

"I think they'll listen, especially with the Spears we'll be taking," Shinji reassured, walking towards Unit-13's Entry Plug's as the Mark.09 was lifted to the chamber. "By the way, is she aware of all this?"

"Yes, Mark.09 will be coming should WILLE send their EVA's to stop us," Kaworu explained. "I'll see you on the inside!"

"Right!" Shinji jumped into his own, the Entry Plug's sealing as they were steadily lowered into Unit-13. Shinji didn't bother to watch the flashed of colors across the screens, rather he glared down to his fist in thought.

* * *

**Flashback**

"_Do you ever wonder about death?" Armaros asked, wiping the blood off of Shinji's now healed frame as he continued. "Well, not anymore since your body can't be killed, but did you?"_

"_Why ask?" Shinji coughed out._

"_Just curious. After all, you'd think with the technology we have, people would finally be able to cheat death. And in a sense, they have, and did! Lorenzo Keel, the former head of SEELE, used cybernetics to survive. Your brother Shiro after the Human Sanity Experiment, needed cybernetics to move and breathe properly, and Vincent Keel, or VEELE, who was infected by Bardiel and given another chance to live. Though we obviously all know how that turned out for him."_

"_In actuality, when you think about it, Evangelion in our only current means of cheating death." Armaros continued. "Your aunt Mari Makimani is proof of that after she entered a 17-year coma inside Unit-05. A bit of an amnesiac from what I've read in the NERV reports, but still the same person from 1996 at Bethany Base. So I can't help but wonder then, if she could return from Unit-05, untouched and yearly the exact same person, doesn't that mean your mother could have left Unit-01?" That caught Shinji's attention, turning to wherever BM-04's voice was._

"_What are you… talking about? My mother, she… she's dead! I watched her die when I was 5!"_

"_Did she though? What if I told you what Gendo said was a lie? What if I told you Unit-01 was the catalyst that started Gendo on his little crusade. And I'm not talking about Third Impact, I'm talking WAY before all that. Back when NERV wasn't even NERV, before Second Impact. Before you, Shiro, Ayanami, and me?"_

"_I…" Shinji bit his lip. A part of him wanted to believe BM-04 was just insane, and this was just come monologue to keep Shinji awake. But…. Another part of him was brewing with curiosity. "Explain it to me then. How can my bother still be alive through Unit-01?"_

"_What do you remember about your mother, hm?"_

"_My… I don't remember much." Shinji stared, cracking his neck as he spoke. "Vague things here and there. Rokubungi took to great lengths to ensure I didn't recall anything about- wait, what does this have to do with Unit-01?"_

"_Well that's no surprise, the Commander is a bit of a dick, even to his own bloodline," BM-04 said, pulling out something form his coats pocket. It turned out to be a photo, much to Shinji's relief and worry as he held it to his face. "Take a look at this piece."_

_The image was of a woman, with brown hair smiling at a brown-haired newborn child with another one, older than the newborn, looking up at them. Beside her was a woman who looked like… Mari? It couldn't be! And yet it was, the only difference was her hair was let loose and she looked somewhat older. On the opposite were a man with a short, barely noticeable beard and no glasses. The date was of February 7, 2003._

"_Who is what…? Rei? No, it can't be…?" Shinji wondered._

"_Yes and no," BM-04 said, putting on his SV helmet. He dropped the photo, letting if fall into the bloodied floor as he spoke. __**"In actuality, that is your mother Yui Ikari, a student who worked along with Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki during his teaching years. And right now, she is the Combat System, and in turn, Berserk form of Unit-01."**_

"_W-What…? No, No-No, I-I don't believe that!" Shinji snapped, breaking into a louder scream. "I don't believe you! That can't be! How could she be Unit-01's system?"_

"_**Let me break it down for you."**__ A loud clang sounded as a hole opened alongside them. Armaros walked over to Shinji, unstrapping his arms as the hole revealed some sort of projector which came to life. Shinji sat up to see a holographic image of what looked like a red, cross-shaped surgical bed, the outline of an Evangelion body in its center. __**"This, was the first prototype of Evangelion's Control System, later implemented into the prototype Unit-01 in 2010. It's where your mother came up with the great idea of directly connect and enter the core of Evangelion, using herself as the tester."**_

"_**You wouldn't recall since you were barely 5 then, and Shiro by then was 10 so he got to see all of it go down. Your mother went in, everyone watched… and then it went wrong."**__ Armaros continued, the hologram changing to the image of Yui suspended above Unit-01's core in a white Plugsuit, lowered downwards unknowingly into her tomb._

"_No… No it-it can't be…."_

"_**And yet it makes the most sense!"**__ Armaros retorted, savoring every second of it. __**"Why do you think Unit-01 accepted you as a pilot so easily when Sachiel attacked? Why would it work for you, but struggle to work with Rei or Prodigium when Zeruel attacked? Why wouldn't it reactivate in the next years following Third Impact to anyone who tried to pilot it, not even Shiro?"**_

"_Y-You're… You're making that up!"_

"_**Am I thought, am I really?"**__ Armaros questioned, walking closer to Shinji. __**"Think about it; whenever you're going to lose, Unit-01 goes berserk, like mam lion protecting her little cub. When you first came to Tokyo-03 and fought Sachiel, the Fourth Angel? That was **_**her**_** fighting, not Unit-01's Combat routine! When you took Synchronization tests, you used to have these feeling of familiarity, smelled things in the LCL, things that shouldn't have been but were."**_

"_How do you know that-?"_

"_**And let's not forget the most recent years. You, being stuck in Unit-01, never to be seen again till 15 years later you'd return. Do you think that's a coincidence? What, you just so happened to decide to wake up right **_**now**_** of all times, to this Hell on Earth?"**_

"_I..." Shinji felt a loss for words. "No-I… It can't be."_

"_**And yet it is."**__ Armaros solemnly replied. __**"Your mother thought that for you and Shiro could find peace wherever you were. You could find Heaven simply because of the fact you were alive. And yet, what really happened after she went into Unit-01? Hm?"**_

"_**That's right: Gendo went into despair, trying desperately to pull her back and splitting apart your family. He went on to work with SEELE directly, became the leader of NERV, and created the Ayanami Clones to bring Yui back in a replica of her own body." **__The image changed to another, this one a shelf of hexagon shaped containers filled with the decapitated head of Rei clones. __**"And even then it blew up in his face. Ritsuko's mother killed the Rei I, Rei II is currently stuck in Unit-01 aboard Wunder, and Rei-Q who is here and is alive is the unofficially marked Rei III."**_

"_**Shiro was sent to NERV US where we went the most extreme of training and torture at the hands of Vincent Keel after his descent to insanity, tortured so badly by his closest, if not his best friend, that he needed cybernetic augmentations to survive."**_

_**And then there's you."**__ Armaros concluded, standing next to Shinji. __**"You; who forced yourself to forget those traumatic memories in favor of believing she was dead. You who fought for the sake of being loved by someone, anyone who was willing to understand your pain, regardless of who got hurt. You, who destroyed Earth over a fucking clone of your dead mom. If that's not pathetic then I don't know what is."**_

_Shinji's eyes watered as he looked down, struggling not to break down and cry. It was true. All of it. Every inch of wording that Armaros had said, every detail down to the letter, it was all true. And deep down, Shinji _knew_ it was._

_A loud knocking came from afar, and Armaros threw Shinji down top his gurney hard. Shinji wheezed as his wrists were strapped down and he was blindfolded, his mind now working to comprehend everything he was told. __**"I suggest for now you plan on what to do next," **__Armaros said as he marched to the door. __**"Knowing the Commander, he'll want you to pilot Unit-13 to grab Longinus and Cassius and kick off Fourth Impact. The question is when you go get down there what will you do? Will you take hold of your own destiny, and do what no one else could in 15 years? Or will you destroy the world, and kill the only other people who can right now consider your friends?"**_

* * *

**End Flashback**

_I'll find the truth first, that's what I'll do._ He thought to himself, the activation sequence finishing to reveal Kaworu, smiling in the control seat next to him. _And when I do, I'll fix the sins I've created. I'll find out what happened to Shiro, and together with Kaworu and Rei, we'll fix the world I wronged in the past, we have too._

_We must._

"All right, we're all set," Kaworu said, flipping on the commutations channel with Mark.09. "Mark.09, are you with us?"

"_Yes,"_ the voice of Rei cut through as her EVA took hold of the cable that would lower them into Old NERV. _"I'm on standby, awaiting your command."_

"Alright then," Kaworu said, looking to Shinji. "You ready?"

"Always," Shinji said with a determined look. "Let's get this plan rolling!"

"Evangelion Unit-13," Both Shinji and Kaworu said, the large Evangelion's eyes shimmering to life as they spoke. "Launch!"

* * *

**WILLE AAA Wunder, Pacific Ocean**

"Captain, I'm getting an energy spike!" Alarms blared in the bridge as Midori spoke.

"Confirmed; it's an Evangelion! No WILLE or UN register detected it's one of NERV's!" Shigeru confirmed, looking to Katsuragi as she entered.

"So Ikari is playing his latest hand." Captain Katsuragi stated, giving her glasses as the warning alarms shut down. "Either that or SEELE has finally decided to use Armaros for the next stage of Instrumentality-"

"Captain, I'm getting a transmission, not one of ours. I think you better take a listen!" Makoto yelled, activating a communication window across the large screen.

"_NEOS, this is Carrier-0. Stormbreaker is damaged and on route to New Washington for repairs. Energy spikes in Ground Zero confirm Neo-NERV is deploying Unit-13, we're on route to secure and capture."_

"_Acknowledged. Energy output is now emptied, and emergency systems are being disabled as we speak. We'll be abandoning ship here soon enough, make sure to get out of impact range by then."_

"_Understood, Carrier-0 out."_

"Radio signal indicates a US NEVEC vessel. Signal transmitter has been identified as a US Aircraft Carrier, Nimitz-Class."

"It's the _Black Narwhal_…" Ritsuko breathed, a feeling of dread rise at the fabled '_Ghost Carrier_.' "Nevec is making their move!"

"Hideki, get us to Tokyo-03 immediately!" Katsuragi snapped. "Shigeru, contact Unit's 02, 05 and 08. Tell them to drop whatever they're doing and get to NERV on the double!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Katsuragi gritted her teeth as Wunder began gaining speed, her fleet following suit as roared across the sea. Katsuragi sat down, lifting the choker detonator. A part of her wanted to press it, another part, however, wanted to hold on it. _We can still reason with him,_ she thought. _As long as we can reason with him, there's no reason to kill him! We'd have another ally on our side, and other Evangelion at that… And if not then…. What am I thinking? It doesn't matter, it's not even Shinji anyhow. Its death won't do anything worse_.

* * *

_**A/N: So, as you see A LOT of changes have come, and a lot more are going to in the following battle. That said, I feel like it's a good time to mention that I am now going to start looking for a Beta Reader. Now, I never really bothered to look into finding a Beta Reader because, well… I don't know how to really find one.**_

_**I only focused on the basic parts of using, (how to upload a chapter, edit chapters, make a new story, etc.) so I never had a reason to look at the Beta Reader section. But I will figure out how to! So if you are a Beta Reader yourself, or know of a Beta Reader to recommend, please PM me or leave it in the reviews.**_

_**That Said, This is The KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Ground Zero**

**Central Dogma Tunnel, Neo-NERV Headquarters**

Down and down and down, Unit-13 descended into the darkness. The metal walls gave Shinji a sort of unique comfort, it helped remind him what he was doing. And where he was going. He inhaled sharply, looking from the Mark.09 above him to the dark below.

While the most wanted to continue forward, a part of him thought this was the dumbest, stupidest, most irresponsible thing to do at the moment. That last time he was behind the controls of Evangelion, he damn near destroyed the Earth and humanity along with it.

He exhaled softly. _This has to happen. It has to work,_ he repeated to himself._ It has too…._

"So… what do you think we'd be going up against if WILLE shows up?" Shinji asked abruptly, getting Kaworu's attention.

"Hm… if I have to be realistic, Unit-13 is by far the most upgraded Evangelion I've known of. There's no doubt that once we reach the seal they'll be sending everything they've got." Kaworu explained, checking the HS Hoppers systems, one by one. "Unit-02.D and Unit-08 are operated by Captain Shikinami and Makimani, though I do not know who the pilot of Unit-05 is."

"Unit-05? Wait, I thought it was destroyed with the Third Angel at Bethany base?"

"It was. However, WILLE managed to steal to schematics NERV had for a redesigned and armored Unit-05 construction frame." The Fifth Child explained. "Nevertheless, I do believe there is someone or _something_ familiar behind the controls of that Evangelion."

"Great, another blast from my past…" Shinji sarcastically said. "Oh, what next..?"

Kaworu chuckled softly. "Don't worry. If anything the RS Hoppers will hold them off, and we have Mark.09 with us too! Have you seen her with that scythe? She's ballistic with the thing!"

"I hope so. I'd love to see Asuka's face when she shows up." Shinji remarked, already thinking of the smart remarks and insults she'd throw if WILLE did arrive. Finally the moment of truth, the end of the metal walls. Aside from the holographic displays of the Entry Plug, all Shinji could now see was permanent darkness. That is until the lights on Unit-13 came on.

"My God… What the hell is all of this….?" Shinji whispered. The walls were covered in hundreds of red body silhouettes, barely showing any dark color from what the walls really were colored.

"The Failures of Infinite, a collection of all of the Commander's clones over the years…. Each of them a failure, never close enough to the real Yui Ikari, nor the real you." Kaworu explained.

"So…. He killed off all my clones because they couldn't disappoint him the way I did? Wow, how touching…." Shinji remarked, looking further downwards. Darkness settled once more in favor of the red silhouettes, and Shinji looked to find themselves in a vast chamber seemingly out of nowhere. "This is it. Beyond this Nullification Barrier is Lilith, the Second Angel's Chamber. It was originally sealed off by Shiro, Captain Shikinami and myself in an attempt to seal the Mark.06 off from the surface."

"Mark.06? You're EVA!" Shinji realized, and Kaworu grimaced at the memories he recalled of the chamber they stood in.

"Yes, let's hope it's still disabled," Kaworu said, starting up the Dual Synchronization System. "Even though we don't technically have three souls, we should still be able to pull this off with two. We'll have to be in perfect synch with Unit-13 to pull it off though; so think of it like pulling a giant lid."

"Right." For a moment, Shinji wanted to ask if Rei-Q could be considered a soul, but then he recalled the reality that she was a clone of Rei III, and even then Rei was a clone of this mother! So he kept to himself, listening to the humming of Unit-13's Dual-Sync System come to life.

Unit-13's eyes began vibrating with life as the Synch Systems connection the Evangelion to its pilots, leaving only a calm humming through the Entry Plugs as Kaworu instructed Shinji. "Remember, clear your head. Watch your tempo; just like our piano duet."

Shinji shut his eyes, slowly forcing any lingering thoughts and ideas aside as the process started. His fears began to fade out, as did the tension he once had after his and Armaros' conversation.

**Target Object Monitored…  
Target Object Identified: Evangelion Type-13  
FINAL NULLIFICATION CONTAINMENT SEAL  
Finale Level of NERV Central Dogma**

"Get ready, Shinji." Shinji's eyes were now opened with strong resolution as they started. _Here we go, _was all he thought.

Unit-13's feet barely scraped the ground below it as it suddenly collapsed. Large, maroon cubes split apart, hovering away from the new opening till it was wide enough for Unit-13 and Mark.09 to descent. "Yes!" Shinji proclaimed with a look of relief, causing Kaworu to grin with glee. The further they lowered, the more the barrier unraveled until it revealed the other side.

"And here we are. The final level of Central Dogma. Ground Zero of Third Impact…." Kaworu announced, face now void of any emotions he had before.

"The epicenter of Third Impact…" Shinji repeated, looking into the large chamber they lowered into. He recalled how different it was to when Katsuragi showed it to him, to "inspire" him into continuing to pilot EVA, and how it worked. He grimaced at how much had changed since then; the LCL Lake was now replaced by hundreds upon hundreds of giant humanoid skulls, Lilith's Cross was now knocked over on its back. "Where is it? Where's Lilith-?"

"There," Kaworu pointed towards the area behind the cross, where a headless female body made of white skin sat, stuck in a crawling position with a ripped off arm reaching out. "That's her corpse, or rather what remains of it still."

"Jesus Christ…. To think this was what we were so desperate to protect back then…." Shinji murmured before he noticed something across the top of Lilith's back. It looked like the top torso of an Evangelion, much larger than Unit-13 and doused in white color, with two very long red spikes dug through the chest and into Lilith. "Is that your EVA?"

"Yes, that's SEELE's Evangelion Mark.06, my original Evangelion. Had I known what laid under its armor, I would have destroyed it along with Lilith here. Luckily it seems to be deserted…." _What does he mean by 'deserted?'_ Shinji thought to himself.

He winced as Unit-13 dropped from the tether, crashing and crushing skull under its heels as it gave a soft growling. "I suppose that's Longinus or Cassius right?" Shinji questioned.

"Yes, the Lance of Longinus and the Spear of Cassius," Kaworu smirked as he continued. "Our keys to hopefully fixing Near Third Impact. And thanks to the Dual-Entry System, we should be able to pull them out and rush it out NERV."

"Right." Shinji nodded, before looking up to the Mark.09. "Rei, you and the Mark.09 stay here on standby. Be ready for anyone or anything that shows up."

"_Understood."_ Mark.09 dropped down, readying its scythe as it stood guard.

"Alright, let's get started." Kaworu nodded, taking over the controls and moving Unit-13 towards Lilith's remains. As they walked forward, Shinji began to ponder onto what Kaworu said before. What was that piloted Mark.06? Did someone pilot it, or was it some sort of Dummy System like Prodigium?

Abruptly, the large Evangelion stopped as Kaworu's eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Wait. Something's wrong."

"What's wrong Kaworu?" Shinji asked. "Is it the Mark.06?"

"No, no not that it…." Kaworu hummed in question, cupping his chin as he studied the giant's corpse. "The spears, are they…. Wait, that's not…. That's not Cassius!"

"Wait, what?" Shinji turned his head upwards, looking at the spears. "Does… Does mean that we- Augh!?"

Shinji was tossed back by a wave of explosions that send Unit-13 down, the RS Hoppers luckily coming to life to block the aftershock explosions. A loud crash tore through the ceiling as a familiar Evangelion crashed atop Unit-13's A.T Field.

"Shinji, are you-?!"

"Shit, it WILLE!" Shinji interrupted, glaring at the EVA. "It's Shikinami!"

The large blade Unit-02.D wielded was thrown back by Unit-13's Field, sending the red Evangelion to the floor. Its large Gatling gun arm was now replaced by a bulky, somewhat unfinished arm as Asuka's voice cut through. _"Shinji, you better not be in that EVA…" _Asuka's voice tore through the communications system before it seethed with anger. "_You fucking brat, you **are** in that Evangelion aren't you?"_

"Yeah, you know what? I AM in this Evangelion." Shinji snapped, with Unit-13 giving a sort of growl of acknowledgment to his words. "And I am going to fix this shit world I did wrong! So stay out our way before I have to hurt you!"

Asuka grit her teeth inside Unit-02.D. As much as she didn't want to fight Shinji, she knew the gravity of this situation called for it. "Fine, you want to help?" She asked, readying her blade. "Then stop piloting!"

"Stop saying that!" Shinji yelled back, trying to swipe as Unit-02.D as it dodged. The WILLE EVA lunged forward, trying to stab into Unit-13. Shinji pulled Unit-13 back, letting the RS Hoppers throw Unit-02.D back a bit. "I'm so sick of hearing that fucking phrase! First, you want me to pilot EVA, now you _don't_! Make up your fucking mind already!"

Asuka pushed forward, jumping to slice the larger EVA's head off before the Mark.09 lunged at her. Both EVA's crashed, with Mark.09 jumping to take down the red EVA before it was sent crashing down with a loud explosion. "Fuck, why are you always late with your support?!" Asuka snarled, glancing up before running forward.

"Oh please, just be happy for once that I'm not back on Wunder right now with Unit-05," Mari said, fixing Unit-08's position as she prepared to fire again. "So this Vessel of Adam is Unit-13, huh? Well, then the least I can do is stop one of you from getting back up!"

Mark.09 was sent crashing up and down by Unit-08's explosive bullets, while Unit-02.D charged towards the larger EVA. Asuka gave a cry of fury as she cut into the RS Hopper's A.T Field, with Unit-13 watching almost in amusement at her attack. "Stop it Asuka. This will get you nowhere, I mean why are you doing this?" Shinji asked, grunting as he pulled Unit-13 back more from the failed attack on them. "Don't you realize we can fix the world with these spears?!"

"If you really want to start cleaning up your shit problem, Shinji then stop piloting EVA!" Asuka snapped back, tugging Unit-02.D back as they spoke. "Christ, don't you realize you'll just make things worse?!

"No I don't, dammit!" Shinji yelled back, with the RS Hoppers just barely keeping Unit-02.D away from the purple EVA. "God, what can I say or do aside from "I'm sorry," huh? Sit by knowing there's a way to fix all of this?! With those spears, we can fix all this Asuka! We can save everyone, don't you want that?!"

_Stubborn to the end,_ Asuka grunted, pulling back with a sigh. _Why… Why can't you just die already? Why can't you just stop haunting me already?!_ "You really were brothers," She said darkly, only fueling Shinji's anger. "Stubborn and naïve, just like Shiro was the-"

"Don't you bring my brother into this!" Shinji roared, gripping the controls tighter as Unit-13 jumped forward. The EVA dodged Unit-02.D as it sliced at them, grabbing the chest armor and slamming it into the floor.

"You…. How fucking dare you call me naïve! I'm so sick of being lied to!" Shinji ranted, the bolts on Unit-13's mouth cracking more so as it snarled as the opposing bio-machine. "I _tried_, Asuka! That has to mean something right? I really did try to listen to you; but just how can I do that when you threaten my life?! When I've been lied to by the same people over and over again just to pilot this fucking thing! How?! How can I trust you after that! After betraying my brother! After trying to _kill me!"_

"No, I am not clueless Asuka! I am not naïve! All I wanted was the truth, but you can't even give that to me! You're clueless, just a rip off NERV at the end of the day! You just don't get it!" Shinji screamed, lifting Unit-02.D and tossing it towards the far wall. The EVA crashed through, collapsing to the floor in what looked to be large EVA-size weapons locker, full of shotguns, pistols, rifles, etc. Unit-13 walked into the room, slamming its foot into Unit-02.D's chest as Shinji spoke. "Now I'm going to fix this! All of it! And there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me!"

Unit-13 grunted as it kicked Unit-02.D, throwing it further into the weapon storage as the RS Hoppers rushed to hold her off. Shinji huffed, turning Unit-13 towards Lilith as he glanced to Kaworu. "Talk to me over there, Kaworu! What's wrong?!"

The albino haired teen didn't respond, simply staring at the spears as realization began to settle in. "The Spears… We need them but….. Oh my, I get it now! Gendo, you bastard Lilim!"

Explosions tore the chamber floors apart as the Mark.09 took cover over Lilith's cross. "Hey, fill in pilot!" Rei-Q felt her eye twitch in, surprisingly, annoyance at Mari's new nickname for her. "You should probably get out your EVA! Not so I can kill you or anything, but it technically is another Vessel of Ad-"

"I cannot." Mari blinked in surprise as Rei-Q's interruption. "I… must protect….. Him? Yes, I-I must… protect Shinji-Kun!"

"Huh… Weird, you not as straight-laced as I thought." Mari said in astonishment, grinning as she fixed her glasses. "I might just enjoy fighting you."

"I am… Thankful for your understanding of me." Rei-Q replied, raising her Mark.09's A.T Field as Unit-08 fired another round at Lilith's cross. _I may not be Rei-II or Yui Ayanami…. But I…. I will do whatever I can to… protect Shinji-Kun!_ She thought with sudden determination.

An explosion tore through the weapons storage as Unit-02.D rushed back in with a battle cry from Asuka, firing at Unit-13 with a Pallet Rifle in one hand and her dual-blade in another. Unit-13 brought its arms up, jumping back as Unit-02 tried to slice at them.

Shinji gave a near-death scream as Unit-13 fell onto its back, with Unit-02.D jumping at the fallen Unit-01 descendant. Asuka screamed louder the possibly ever before as she tore right through the RS Hoppers with rage, slamming her dual blade into Unit-13's arm bracers. "Kaworu, help me!" Shinji tried to please, but the Fifth Child simply continued staring at Lilith in silence. "Asuka, stop! Don't do this to me!"

"Rgh, shut up and die already you damn brat!" Asuka roared, her Evangelion growling with its own fury. Unit-13's arms began to now bleed as it gave a whirl of pain, struggling to keep the raging redhead away from its pilots. Unit-02.D's eyes flashed red as more blood splatter across its face, before the terrible sound of machinery falling asleep tore Asuka out of her rage. "Huh?"

"No…. No, no, not now!" She yelled at the _'LOW ENERGY RESERVES'_ window, quickly switching on the emergency comm. "Four-Eyes I need another spare and fast-Ack!"

Unit-02.D went sailing far as Unit-13 had kicked it off, smashing its fist into the red EVA's head. The Eva gave a cry of pain at its new injured eyes, crashing into the skulls as the behemoth purple EVA began stomping up towards Lilith's leg.

"Shinji…. I-I think…. We should turn back…. Shinji…." Something was wrong. Kaworu found himself suddenly winded, his lungs weren't catching any oxygen in the LCL. He clutched his side, wincing at the sudden pain their as he continued. "Somethings…. Somethings wrong here…."

Unit-13 paused for a brief moment, and Shinji looked at Kaworu. "Don't do to me, Kaworu." Was all he whispered, hair covering his eyes.

"Shinji…. Don't-!"

**_"Don't do this to me!_**" Shinji screamed, showing the pain in his eyes as he forced Unit-13 onwards towards Lilith. "You cannot be serious about this! We're here, we're right fucking here and you want to turn back?! Are you out of your mind?!"

"You don't understand…" Kaworu wheezed, grasping his hair in frustration. "For Lilith sake, looked at them Shinji! Those aren't the spears we need!"

"No, they have to be…." Shinji growled, gritting his teeth whilst Unit-13 began to climb, higher and higher to Mark.09 and the Spears to salvation. "You did this to me…. All of you…. You gave me hope, Kaworu! Hope that I could see the worlds gets a brighter tomorrow! Hope that I could undo my biggest fuck up to date! For the love of God Kaworu, it's the only real reason I'm in this damned EVA!"

Shinji twisted the controls, letting them shift back into place as the Dual-Entry System shut down completely. "No, the Control System!" Kaworu cried, the machine flat lining as Kaworu's control seat shifted, sending all control towards Shinji's.

Unit-13 gave a more sinister growl as its eyes flared red, a clear sign that the EVA was now awakened and ready for its true goal. "I will drag both Longinus out of Lilith! And I will fix everything; for Shiro, for Asuka, for you!" Shinji proclaimed, glaring forward with a flash of red in his eyes. "And them Misato will tell me the truth….!"

"Oh God, Shinji no!" Asuka screamed in terror, looking from Unit-13 towards Unit-08 above. "Mari, change of plans! The RS Hoppers are down, use your Anti-Air rounds!"

"Yes, the moment of triumph!" Mari sang victoriously, loading Unit-08's sniper with Anti-Air defense rounds. "To our ace in the hole!"

The rounds snapped out, roaring into Unit-13's shoulder blades with ease. That is, until they faded right through the shoulders and out, exploding on the ground floor. "No A.T Field? Wait…. That Evangelion it… it can't be….!"

Unit-13's chest began glowing red along with its eyes, revealing it to house a second pair of arms. The arms extended, raised into the air like a warning of the death to come. Shinji growled, pulling the arms up to grasp either Spear. Blood seeped out of the Mark.06 and Lilith as Unit-13 tilted them, pulling them slowly up.

"Stop Shinji, don't do it!" Kaworu pleased, covering his face in fear ow what would happen next. Shinji ignored him.

"Stop it, Shinji! NO!" Asuka screamed through the comms, trying to turn him away from the motion. Shinji ignored him.

Shinji blocked every single thing out, every noise, every scream to stop, and every shake done to the EVA. His eyes flashed red, and in quite possibly the loudest scream ever produced, Unit-13 ripped out the long spears with inhuman ease. The spears clashes together with an echo, spiraling out to reveal them to be a pair of Longinus Lances. "Yes!" Shinji cheered to himself. "Finally, we-huh?!"

Unit-13 nearly stumbled down as an angelic echo vibrated out the walls. "What the?!" Shinji turned Unit-13 to see Mark.06's visor was now shimmering red, staring directly at the smaller EVA.

* * *

**Meanwhile, Central Dogma Tunnel**

Above on the surface, Armaros stood above the giant hole, with Towart standing beside it. An hour ago Unit-13 and the Mark.09 had descended down, and only a few minutes later did Unit-02.D and Unit-08 push right past them and down to face Shinji. "Seems like things are running smoothly." BM-04 mused before a sudden communications window activated. "Who is this?"

"_Hello, Vance."_ The voice made BM-04 tense with anger.

"Don't call me that name." BM-04 snarled, clutching the controls tightly.

"_Come now is that any way to speak to your father?"_ The window flicker and change, shifting into the red sigil of SEELE-01 on display.

"I don't consider a machine my father, even if it houses the brain of Zarth Keel." The Shinji clone remarked, looking to the mask on his lap. He could very vaguely feel the detailing lines of the SEELE logo embedded on it, though he never bothered to color it. It was the one piece of him he'd wanted to get rid of his fake past. "So what do you want, hm? Did Ikari already say his farewells and such?"

"_No, but I have no doubt he will soon. Sad, to think that man will finally have rid all his problems away by 'killing us,'"_ SEELE-01 said, humming slightly. _"Either that, or he'll catch wind of this news and try to run. Anyway, I doubt it matters. He may hold control over the Mark.09, Unit-13 and your own Evangelion. But only we, the Council of SEELE, hold power over you Vance, our greatest achievement. Your brother would be proud."_

"My brother would be ashamed that I walked the path he was dragged down by Bardiel." BM-04 replied, glaring at the red symbol. "And ashamed to know what I have become."

"_Perhaps, yet he is no longer with us. Only I remain,"_ SEELE-01 remarked. _"I've come to give you my final farewell gift, a present form your dead father, and a gift from your new leaders. We leave you command of Sarientodamu itself, and the MAGI it holds, Arceus."_

"Oh, really? Out of everything to give me, from the Angel Carrier to the SEELE MP-EVA units, you give me Monster Zero. Gee, thanks, guys. I'll love trying to control the giant demon from space…"

"_Would you rather have a feeble army of broken Evangelion rip-offs?"_

"That's fair," BM-04 nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll captain your hydra dragon spaceship thing. So what now?" Just as he asked, the base structure shook.

"_I care not what you do from here on. Kill the Ikari boy, kill Ikari himself, or use NERV's weaponry. Whatever suits you… But do be quick, our dear Captain Katsuragi is on her way now,"_ SEELE-01 said, the image fading away. "And remember Vance, we will be watching."

"Great," BM-04 said, letting his helmet fall to the side at Towart turned toward him. "What? You planning on leaving us?"

No response from the black EVA's. "Right, Dummy Plugs… Forgot that." BM-04 groaned, slapping his forehead. "Anyways, get to Monster Zero and prepare for flight. I'm going down to… handle our guests."

Towart-01 nodded, silently leaving with 02 into the darkness. As they did, Armaros turned towards the dark tunnel. "And away I go!" He chanted, jumping into the darkness with a cackle.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Oh boy, it's happening. And this is where the biggest changes begin for the story so be prepared for that. Please review that you think of the story of far, I'd love to hear your opinions on the story so far.**_

_**Also, this it to nope: Yes I saw the clip and I fucking loved it! I cannot wait to add it into the story in the future, just how to figure out when and how...**_

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/?/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Ascension**

**UN Command Ship AAA Wunder, South of Tokyo-03**

If you were to look at Lake Ashinoko, from before Third Impact and present-day "Earth Hell," you wouldn't even recognize it still existed. It's once the blue color was now drenched to red, matching the ruined, desolated landscape.

And yet to Captain Katsuragi, it could easily act as a cover for anyone trying to advance onto Tokyo-3. Nevertheless, the UN's AAA Wunder hovered above it, waiting for _it_ to happen. And it didn't take a genius to realize what "it" was.

Fourth Impact, the next stage in "Human Evolution." And the next stage to SEELE and Neo-NERV getting rid of WILLE and NEVEC entirely. Not that it mattered, the Impact event itself would more than likely kill them all in the end. She pondered back though, to when Third Impact did happen and questioned if things could have gone differently.

Would _he_ have stayed with them, even after all that? Or would both of _them_ have left, vanished with NEVEC to fight them, fight _her_? In the end, she wouldn't know, but something told her this battle would somehow determine it.

"Commander, energy spike below us!" Kitakami yelled, her radar flaring with energy readings across the board.

"Do a diagnostic check, and bring us to Battle Station Level-!" Katsuragi was thrown off by a barrage of explosions that shook the Wunder's lower hull. The giant tiled as missiles roared out the red lake, tilting the ship side to side as a shadow began to emerge below.

The lake splashed violently to reveal a black submarine rising to the surface. The vessel was huge, rivaling Wunder's size of 2 kilometers with the frame of an aircraft carrier, with a longbow that was seemingly fused to the carriers original launch bow. Panels atop the surface opened and shifted, revealing a rising command bridge with missile launchers and heavy defense cannons that began autonomously firing at Wunder.

Aboard the US Black Narwhal, the bridge windows opened to reveal the red land and large ship above. "Looks like someone tried to take out spot huh?" the voice of a somewhat young man questioned, arms crossed as he stood in the bridge center. "Mana, you're up! Get Ikari and Unit-13 back to us, we'll hold off WILLE!"

"_Right!"_ From below the Narwhal, a large blue colored was released into the water, roaring out the water towards Tokyo-3.

"Unit-05, get out there! Stop that TRIDENT, now!" Ritsuko yelled over the comms.

"_**Acknowledged."**_ Atop Wunder's wing, an Evangelion jumped off, crashing atop the Narwhal's runway. It was a near replica model of Unit-02 before the Third Impact, though with several changes. For one, it was dark silver with white highlights across its frame and wielded a long lance with a Shankaku Yari tip now aimed at the escaping mecha. _**"Sayonara, Little Kirishi-Rgh?!"**_

Unit-05 was nearly sent flying by a large object, stabbing its lance into the Narwhal's hull and turning to see its new target. It was green with yellow highlights on the shoulders pylons and waist, the most notable features being the four-leg appendages with wheels at the ends. US Provisional Unit-07 stood before the A.I piloted EVA, the left now a humanoid arm with claw-like fingers, with a long energy spear replacing the right forearm.

"Prodigium," the voice of Unit-07's speakers called out.

"_**Ah, Captain Strasberg!"**_ The WILLE A.I exclaimed, tilting the EVA's head in irritancy._** "How are you doing? After Boston, I thought you died along with the damage done to Stormbreaker!"**_

"Acting Captain, get it right!" Musashi retorted, tapping his Interface Helmet to work. "And by the way, thanks for ruining my ship; I won't be able to command till it gets out of the dry dock!"

"_**As if you were good, to begin with!"**_ Unit-05 lunged, swiping as the Provisional EVA jumped back, clashing the lance with its spear.

Musashi grunted, dodging Unit-07 as the Narwhal rained hellfire onto the Wunder_. I just hope we can hold out till Mana gets back here,_ Musashi prayed silently.

* * *

**Lilith's Chamber, Neo-NERV Central Dogma**

Shinji gaped in horror as the Lilith exploded, sending Unit-13 flailing into the air. Luckily the humanoid machine hovered in the air a standstill, clutching both Longinus Lances in either hand as blood rained across its frame.

As they hovered, Kaworu felt his neck, biting his in dismay. _This wasn't supposed to happen_, he murmured to himself in worry. _This can't be!_

Shinji leaned forward, looking at the now spinning object above the lake. It was an Evangelion, dark blue with yellow highlights across the shoulder frames and torso. "That's Evangelion Mark.06?" He whispered before a familiar alarm rang. One that sends chills down his spine. His gaze snapped to the side, revealing a message with a simple message: _**'WARNING! BLOOD PATTER-BLUE IDENTIFIED. ANGEL IDENTIFIED: ISRAFEL, 12**__**TH**__** ANGEL OF ADAM.' **_"An Angel Blood Pattern?! What the hell is happening?!"

The giant EVA Mk.06 gave a whirled growl of life as it spun, turning its gaze towards Unit-13 in the air. Its giant body snapped and twitched violently, finally screeching loudly as it created an angelic halo below it. "Son of a bitch, Armisael is still alive!" Asuka screamed, running across Lilith's cross and through the LCL Lake. "Four-Eyes, send me the 3rd Container!"

Unit-02.D ripped its destroyed left arm off, tossing it aside as a grey crate launched directly towards it. The crate exploded in mid-air, revealing it to be a new arm with a long mini-gun barrel attach to the end. "Four-Eyes, shoot whatever comes out the Mark.06! We have to kill it before the Third Impact resumes!" Asuka yelled, locking and connecting the mini-gun to her EVA with a war cry.

Just before she could fire, Mark.09 rushed past the red EVA, scythe in hand. The yellow EVA jumped, eye dilating at it raised the black scythe, slamming it down into Mark.06's neck. The head screamed as it shut down, blood spilling out as Rei-Q landed safely in the Lake. "Yes, this… was my final order." Rei whispered, glaring up at the Mark.06 as it violently spewed out blood

Blood was finally replaced by a metallic liquid, snaking out the body and decapitated head as the body parts fell. The snake split apart, crashing into the walls and into itself before forming into one large snake. "Oh-Oh my God, it's an Angel?!" Shinji gasped in horror, tugging at Unit-13's controls to defend themselves.

The EVA did nothing to respond, allowing the Angel to wrap around the humanoid into a giant ball of dark metal. "No!" Asuka screamed, raising her minigun to fire. Just as she did, a powerful explosion threw her EVA around, making her scream in shock. "What the hell?!"

"_**Sorry, Captain Shikinami,"**_ A familiar voice said, revealing Armaros, standing above the fall WILLE EVA with a long blade in hand. _**"But this is one event you won't be stopping!"**_

"Armaros, you bastard!" She growled, trying to get up.

BM-04 grinned inside his Entry Plug, letting the black screening fade to show the entire chamber and the giant Angel Core that revealed itself. "_**Now Israfel! Unleash your rage!"**_ He yelled through the speakers as the Core twitched and pulsed. _**"Infect the foolish BM-03-no, Shinji Ikari the Devil of Earth! Help me forge Earth into an empire, and me into a God! Let us rebuild this disgusting dead world and forge a new reality in our image!"**_

"Damn you!" Asuka screamed, firing at the giant Angel Core. Nothing, not a single bullet ripped through the Core, simply bouncing off.

"Just give up, Princess," Mari called, shifting her Unit-08 to lay on the cover she was at. She laid back in her Entry Plug, playing with a small Rubix Cube that shifted in color. "The whole sphere is the Core of the Angel itself, nothing we can do about it. Hm, unless you want to blow your EVA up."

"Besides, let's be honest with yourselves," she continued, looking back with a gleeful smile. "Nothing up to this point has been fun. I can only imagine what will happen when this and the last Angel are defeated!"

An eerie giggle filled the room as Rei-Q looked to the huge Core, watching it shift and morph into something terrifying. The core mutated and shifted, transforming into a creepy image of Rei's face, distorted and grotesque as it giggled. "That… it can't be!" She whispered in shock, looking up at the creature with fear. "Is that… Is that me? What am I?!"

"Yes, that is the true form of humanity Rei. That," BM-04 pointed his EVA's hand to the red sphere. "Is the basic form of an Angel-Hm?"

Suddenly a loud roaring noise came from above as Mari looked up. "What's that?" She squinted her eyes, barely noticing a yellow glow before it rushed passed her, nearly sending Unit-08 down. "Holy shit!"

"_**No! NO!"**_ Armaros jumped up as the TRIDENT flew in, slamming into the EVA Killer and sending it back into the Lake. Trident was cyan and ocean blue, with a T-Rex design to its frame. The arms were long with sharp claw ends, and a large set of energy cannons/engines on its back. TRIDENT let out a roar as it began firing from its front-mounted turret and back cannons, leaving large burns across the Angel Core as Armaros rushed forward. _**"STOP IT, YOU'LL RUING EVERYTHING!"**_

"Oh fuck off, you Shinji rip-off!" Mana Kirishima snapped, glaring forth as she fired at the Angel Core. "No one cares about your sad Angel love story!"

Inside Unit-13, Shinji struggled to tug at the controls as Kaworu clutched his head in horror. "It's! Not! Respond!" he yelled. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?!"

Outside Unit-13's shoulder pylons violently exploded off, slowly being replaced by a new set in dark maroon like material. "Kaworu, talk to me! Help me help you!" Shinji yelled, looking to Kaworu in fear for his friend.

Kaworu gasped, slapping his eyes and he raised his head. "Damn," he cursed, glaring forward at the giant Core. "To think this would happen, that I Tabris the 1st Angel and the Soul of Adam would become the 13th Angel…"

"What do you mean- Did you get thrown down in rank?" Shinji questioned, a bit irritated by what he assumed was the problem. "That's what you're worried about?!"

"It's not just a rank, Shinji!" Kaworu groaned, sighing in frustration as the red shoulder pylons began building up more and more. "Then again I suppose the beginning and end are the same… Besides, let's not forget that your bastard father, Gendo Ikari is responsible for this!"

"What the hell? Blood Type Blue form the DSS Choker?" Mari glared at the message on her screen, _**'WARNING! BLOOD PATTERN TYPE: BLUE, DSS CHOKER DETECTION SYSTEM. POSSIBLE 13**__**TH**__** ANGEL MANISFTESTATION IN PROGRESS.' **_She looked away, glaring upwards towards the tunnel that leads up to Neo-NERV HQ. "Now I can't help but wonder now if this is what Gendo wanted…?"

* * *

**SEELE Meeting Room, Neo-NERV Headquarters**

Gendo stood alone, looking from side to side at the SEELE monoliths. "As it stands, our amends towards the Dead Sea Scrolls has come and done. So with that, I must bid farewell to you all."

One by one, every SEELE monolith began to shut down with every sentence Gendo spoke. "Though you have changed the form of your souls, hoping to live on as ghosts in the machines, you are still the few humans who have stated the Fruit of Angelic Knowledge."

Another monolith fell dull as he continued, "Though you may have wanted to live an eternity on through machinery and Evangelion itself, you cannot escape the fate of death we have sentenced ourselves to. And so to advance our evolution, a race bent on living through death, you have gifted us the gift of civilization."

"And so on behalf of all humanity, I thank you and wish that death shall send your souls onto the path they belong." With that, all SEELE monoliths sat grey and lifeless now. Save for one.

Save for SEELE-01.

Save for Zarth Keel.

"I, Gendo Ikari Rokubungi shall finish the long awaiting goal of the Human Recalibration Project against WILLE and NEVEC, and kill the God who abandoned us all at birth." Gendo finished. "Rest assured, I will win."

The last, if not a final member of SEELE spoke calmly with Gendo one final time. _"Then our wished have been granted! Good, all is well with the world. We wish you adieu, Ikari and wish for the complemented perfection of humanities purification of all souls."_ With that, Zarth Keel dissolved away, leaving Gendo and Fuyutsuki alone with the stone monoliths.

"Come, Fuyutsuki. We must depart immediately." Gendo said, turning to leave.

"Of course, Ikari."

* * *

**Lilith's Chamber, Neo-NERV Central Dogma**

Unit-13's eyes bulged out, pulsing into large red glowing circles as it screamed with agony. A scream of sorrow. All of sudden, Shinji twitched, something Kaowru noticed. "Shinji-Kun?" He whispered, looking at Shinji as he began shaking and twitching faster. "Shinji-Kun, what's wrong? Shinji?!"

Shinji didn't respond but began screaming at the top of his lungs in pure pain. His voice echoed through Unit-13 like a mirror, and through all the communication lines. "What the hell?" Asuka whispered, listening in a grimace at Shinji's screams.

As he screamed and thrashed, the Core of Armisael shifted and morphed into an embryo for a split second, twitching before it shrunk. It hovered before Unit-13's now open mouth, and the EVA responded with a crunch as it crushed and absorbed Armisael's essence.

For a moment, both Unit-13 and Shinji froze. The silence began to crack as Armaros, Asuka and the others watched Unit-13's green highlights become solid red. The purple EVA twitched, almost as if trying to contain itself before releasing a louder scream. The EVA screamed along with Shinji as its frame became solid white, glowing with energy powerful enough to shimmer around it.

"Good God," Asuka breathed in horror. "It's exceeding its Psuedo-Evolution!"

"And it looks like Shinji is taking any excess energy along with it…" Mari said, staring with dread at the Evangelion as Shinji screamed louder than before.

"_**Yes! Finally! It's happening!"**_ Armaros cried with joy, tears spilling down his cheeks as his Entry Plug flared with newfound energy. He cackled with joy, grabbing the controls as his own EVA began hovering. _**"Rise, Israfel! Rise Survivor of Adam, and take back the world your fathers wanted! The crimson awakening of our new covenant!"**_

Unit-13/Israfel flared with rage as it roared, a pair of halos coming to life behind it as it gave a final echoing shriek of power. A halo pulsed below as Unit-13/Israfel rocketed into the air, rushing past Unit-08 with enough speed and momentum to crack apart the ceiling around it.

Shinji clenched his teeth in pain as Unit-13/Israfel roared upwards, leaving a level of destruction as it destroyed the tunnel toward Neo-NERV HQ. Nothing shifted its frame, not a single piece of metal shifted its frame. Finally, the moment of truth; Unit-13/Israfel tore right through neo-NERV HQ.

It hovered in the air as the Mark.09 was pulled upwards alongside Armaros, Angel halos hovering above their heads. A new halo pulsed above Unit-13/Israfel's head, creating a familiar echo as it began expanding. It expanded, growing in color until it covered every inch of the sky above Japan.

Shinji sniffled, clutching his head as he looked up in terror. "Oh my God…." He whispered out, his skin rapidly growing pale as he saw the distant light in the black center of the rings. "Wh-What is…. Happening….?"

Suddenly, loud cracking noises began to fill their ears. Shinji looked down, nearly falling out his seat to lean and see what was happening below. A massive, inhuman object suddenly erupted from below the ground. The object was grey, yet it looked almost red because of the array of giant rings above. Buildings and destroyed EVA bodies were sent flying as the massive object pulled itself out slowly, spiraling upwards until it was just below Neo-NERV Headquarters.

"What is this… is this…. Is this my fault?" Shinji gasped, leaning back in his seat as tears began to form. He looked to Kaworu, who raised his head and looked towards Shinji directly with a stoic expression.

"This is Fourth Impact," Kaworu said, looking to Shinji's disdain and nearly unconscious look. "It's the opening ritual to connect with Guf."

The object continued to rise as destroyed rubble and ruins spun all around the ancient machine. As this happened, Shinji noticed something happening around Kaworu's neck. "Kaworu," he breathed heavily, looking as several small diamonds split off and circled his neck. "You didn't…. did you?"

Before he could answer, Shinji felt the full momentum of Wunder crash into Unit-13/Israfel, firing everything in her arsenal to stop the Impact event. "K-Katsuragi…." He whispered, listening in on the commutations now being made by Wunder.

* * *

**Entry Plug Command Bridge, AAA Wunder**

"Maximize the A.T Field!" Ritsuko yelled, clutching the command platform railing as the ship roared with power. Wunder's A.T Field flared in front of the Pseudo-EVA and Wunder, shrinking till it formed a sphere around Unit-13/Israfel, sending raw energy at the EVA. "Seal it in!"

"Load every other cannon we have with ricochet ammo for simultaneous firing!" Katsuragi roared, glaring forward at the white Evangelion. "Do _**everything**_ in your power to stop that EVA!"

"Firing!" Aoba yelled. The main cannons atop Wunder's hull fired red beams of light, ricocheting off the A.T Field and crashing into the Pseudo-Evolved EVA. Unit-13/Israfel screamed in agony as the explosions, doubling in pain as another round hit it. Just before another round could take place, an explosion destroyed the left cannons, making Wunder tilt.

"We've been hit! We've lost the second main cannon!" Kitakami cried out, holding onto her radar screen.

"Son of a bitch, another Vessel of Adam?!" Misato growled, looking up to see Armaros, hovering above Wunder with a halo holding it in the air. It growled as light energy flared in its eyes, a beam shooting out and damaging the Wunder enough to tilt the gargantuan command ship.

Unit-13/Israfel growled with acknowledgment at Armaros' actions, watching almost in amusement as Wunder began lowering rapidly, trying to stay in the air. "Central hull as hit badly, we can't get a number on the damage done!" Hyuga yelled out.

"Power output is failing. Dammit, we're losing gravity control!" Koji yelled, looking to Sumire who tried to pull the Wunder up as much as possible.

"I've lost control of the main rudder, we're losing altitude!" She cried out, struggling to keep the Wunder from crashing. Smoke burned across the hull as the command ship tilted across the bigger object, its wing crashing and skidding across its surface.

Armaros fired another beam of light, creating an explosion that forced Wunder lower. "We have damage on deck 3 and more damage to the central hull!"

Armaros hovered forward, close enough for the crew to see it above. "Damn, it seems BM-04 isn't too keen to giving up old grudges," Ritsuko whispered in shock, watching the EVA's body began to flicker white. "He's trying to take back control from Unit-01!"

More beams of light burned across Wunder, now across the lower hull directly at the main engine. Finally, the EVA Killer lowered atop the yellow caging surrounding the skeleton-like tail.

* * *

Meanwhile, Unit-02.D and Unit-08 finally finished crawling up to see the situation. Mari whistled, watching Wunder fly by like a comedy skit. "That looks pretty darn bad." She mused before a roaring object rushed up and past them. It was TRIDENT, rushing down the side of the massive machine with a pair of following RS Hoppers close behind. "Where are you going?"

"Forget about Kirishima! You handle Unit-13," Asuka barked, looking to Wunder with a growl. "I'll handle Armaros."

"You got it!"

* * *

"We can't shake Armaros," Shigeru called out, trying to keep the visual screen up before they flickered on and off finally. "There's some sort of data feed connecting to the control system-!"

Vance laughed, his image appearing on the giant screen with an evil smile_**. "I told you I'd be in touch, and here I am!" **_He cackled, glaring forth with burning blue eyes. _**"I'm taking back my ship, Misato-San! SO GET TO FUCK OFF!"**_

"Damn you, Keel!" Misato yelled back, watching the Shinji clone lean back with glee. "You have something to do with this, don't you? What did you do?!"

"_**I told Shinji the truth! I dolt him why Unit-01 is so important to his dead beat father Gendo and exactly what Rei is; a simple clone of a dead woman who her children and lover to die!"**_ Misato grit her teeth as Vance continued with amusement. _**"You should have seen his face when I told him that; the look of betrayal when I broke him down, piece by piece, inch by inch! And then Nagisa convinced him to go down there! To take the Spears out of Lilith and end all this shit you put onto his name, to fix the world for humanity sake! For YOUR sake! But then again, you are Misato Katsuragi. Human emotion or care for others just isn't in your rulebook, is it?"**_

She grit her teeth. "KEEL!" She screamed in rage while the pilot laughed with glee.

_**"Now I will fulfill the wish my father wanted for me! The wish my brother wanted for me! I will become human, and I will carve my name into history!"** _Vance finished, forcing his Evangelion to continue its infection of Wunder.

* * *

Asuka pushed Unit-02.D across the plateau, running past debris as Wunder came closer to reach. She pushed further, jumping and just barely, _barely_ catching onto Wunder's wing. The pulled herself up, firing whatever rounds she still had at Armaros. The bullets ripped through the A.T Field, shredding the torso to reveal a red Core underneath, a carved SEELE logo adorned on the front.

"What the hell?!" Asuka questioned, glaring at Amraros as Unit-02.D rushed up the wing. "That just reeks of SEELE's doing…."

"_**Rgh, you one-eyed bitch! I should have killed you back at Marduk when I had the chance**_!" Vance screamed, firing a beam of light at Unit-02.D.

"Could've, should've!" Unit-02.D jumped to dodge, the aftermath explosion of Armaros' assault boosting her up. The Entry Plug shifting to darker colors as Asuka spoke, "Mode Shift; Code Triple Seven, the Beast!"

"_**Oh, you European attention whore!" **_Armaros growled, watching Unit-02.D's back explode to reveal the deactivating limiters. Unit-02.D roared as its mouth bolts gave way, with Asuka growling inside as her eye glowed green with energy. _**"Come and get some, Angel Girl!"**_

Unit-02.D roared at both EVA's crashed together, the former wrapping around and trying to claw at Armaros. The Vessel of Adam shrieked and started punching Unit.02-D, desperate to get it off as Asuka and Vance argued. _**"You are an annoyance, you know? Why couldn't you have just died along with Bardiel?!"**_

"Who the hell do you think you are to say that?!" Asuka screamed in rage, trying to pull the EVA Killer's back apart. She failed, and her EVA was sent flying into the hull of Wunder. The Beast Mode began shifting Unit-02.D's frame, the body becoming more dog-like with a long tail and the legs becoming animal-like. The teeth of the red EVA grew longer as is roared in fury, catching the energy Armaros shot at it with enough power to cancel it out. "Die!"

"_**You first, bitch!"**_ Vance screamed, revealing a set of blades on Armaros' forearms. Unit-02.D roared as Armaros shrieked, and the Beast EVA lunged.

* * *

"I want a report from observations!" Katsuragi barked.

"Captain Shikinami and Unit-02 Dash are engaging Armaros!" Shigeru reported.

"Damn! It's all up to you, Asuka…!" Katsuragi grimaced.

* * *

Armaros fired again, with Unit-02.D dodging in time to clash with the black EVA. Vance screamed in pain, slicing into Unit-02.D's arm as they battled. Asuka screamed, finally grasping the neck of Armaros with Unit-02.D's teeth and tugging. The EVA screamed as its neck was pulled, finally exploding and letting the head slack. "It's over!" Asuka yelled. "Give up and surrender, NOW!"

"_**NEVER! IT'S NOT OVER! I'LL KILL ALL OF US IF I HAVE TO**_-!" Vance was cut off by a barrage of explosions, blasting all around him and Unit-02.D _**"What the hell?!"**_

Hovering in the air was Mark.09, firing a beam of light that tore into Armaros arm. "You will not harm us," Rei-Q grunted, holding Mark.09's controls before her EVA lost the power of Adam and began falling. "You won't harm me…. Any longer…."

"_**No, you rotten bitch**_!" The explosion was enough to let Armaros release Asuka's Entry Plug, letting her roar into the air. Unit-02.D fell silent as Armaros struggled to getaway. _**"Get off me, you fucking-!"**_ He shrilled in vain, finally screaming louder as Unit-02 exploded in a fiery inferno of light. _**"AAAASSSUUUUUKKKKKAAAA!**_

Armaros gave a final scream as it, and Unit-02 Dash exploded in a ball of energy, burning away the data infection. "Captain, I've regained control of Wunder!" Sumire yelled. "Where's our target?!"

"Full power to the engines!" Katsuragi roared, looking up at Unit-13/Israfel. "We have to catch Unit-13 at all costs!"

"Captain!" Ritsuko yelled, looking disdain as she spoke. "We have to wait till the engine recovers! We have to retreat while we still can!"

"But-!"

"Misato!" Ritsuko yelled, finally getting her friend to stare back to her in anger. "We have no other choice!"

Katsuragi bit her lip, glaring up at the shimmering Evangelion before grunting out, "Retreat! Get us the hell away from all this, now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Wunder elevated, raising as it roared away from the Chamber of Guf. _Damn you, Shinji Ikari! _Katsuragi thought in rage.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Okay, so MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT! I will be taking a small break from Evangelion for a bit, I want to work a bit more on Cease to EXist before school starts, and I still have to get all my materials and shit for my classes. So just as a heads up, if you want to know when to read the next chapter, check back here on August 25**__**th**__** to see the next phase of this story begin.**_

_**If you have any questions, ideas, theories, anything you want to tell me or let me know about please PM me or leave in the reviews.**_

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/A.I/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Agony's Descent**

**Israfel infected Unit-13, Gates of Guf**

Israfel, the 13th Angel of Adam hovered only miles away from The Gates of Guf, and beyond that? The Chamber of Guf, which would reach out to the Originals Homeworld and burn this one.

And yet as it seemed so close to reaching, close to grasping, the closing victory came... off. It was an odd feeling for the Angel, as it seemingly had the upper hand against the Lilith; it had already infected the clone of false purple Adam, taken the S2 Engines of the yellow clone and now destroyed black clone, hell it'd gone so far to dig out the Black Moon to recollect the soon to be passing race, so what was wrong?

Perhaps it was the tension that Tabris gave off, as his rank was now stripped of his duty to be Adams Soul. Or maybe it was from within the machine clone itself, the seemingly foreign soul that lived in it long before Israfel took control. It was strange; alien, yet… Lilith? Could it be her soul?

Whatever the case, Unit-13's Entry Plug were being forced to draw in the strong energy from either creature, with Shinji most noticeably taking the effects negatively. His once light skin was now pale like Rei and Kaworu's, and his hair was now solid black, the few white streaks remaining as he breathed heavily.

"K—aworu…." The 13th Angel looked to his friend, somewhat distressed internally as he wheezed and forced his hand up to the Entry Plug wall. Shinji's eyes were watering, ye this raspy voice made seem as if he was awakening from long ago. "Forgive me…. I failed you, I….. Dragged you into my shit show of a problem and… now you're going to die for it? So much for saving the world…."

He chuckled, watching the collar glow as Kaworu spoke. "No, you… you can't truly blame yourself for this Shinji. In the end, this would have happened if I had the collar or not. WILLE would have killed me knowing I was an Angel and Israfel has no doubt discovered my whereabouts in Unit-13. I am at my fault for this."

"Heh, still on my side till the very end huh?" His sad nod made Shinji groaned, falling back into his seat as the seat finally came out. "What should I do-No…what _can_ I do? How can I ease the pain?"

"I cannot say. Even if we both died, the reality is that it wouldn't end Third Impact's effect on Earth, simply ease the pain of those who used you. Manipulated you, and help them move on." Kaworu stated, looking down at the cowards aboard Wunder, who sailed away in terror. "And at the same time, allow them to change the perspective the world has on you. From the Savior of Humanity to the Devil of Lilith, too, simply put, Nothing. Nothing but a broken memory of a broken child."

The Angel smiled falsely, turning upwards to the steadily closing Chamber of Guf. "I'm so sorry, Shinji. I know in the end this isn't the world you wanted, the happiness you seek to reclaim. Unlike those before me have and after me can…."

Shinji coughed violently, shaking his head as he reached to the controls of Unit-13. "Don't-Don't be…. You, you-you were a-ab-le to save my humanity…. Even if…. It means nothing in the end for either of us….. I enjoyed the time I have with you, Tabris of Adam."

Kaworu smiled softly, inhaling as he glared upwards. "Forgive me, Israfel. But I cannot let this reality of our race come true. I shall seal the Doors of Guf from us." He took Unit-13's controls, looking to Shinji as he pulled himself to them. He gave a serious look to him as the EVA shuttered. "You ready?"

"Yes," Shinji nodded. He breathed, forcing Unit-13 to raise the first Lance of Longinus. With a roar of agony, both it and Shinji felt the red spear burrow into their chests, the latter falling into a fit of coughs and wheezes. Kaworu was disturbed physically, but Shinji persisted. "F-Finish it! I can h-handle it…!"

Kaworu hesitated, tense as he prepared to lift the other Lance. As he did, Unit-13's eyes flashed blue, and the Pseudo-Evolved Evangelion gave a sudden, loud shriek.

Loud enough to make Shinji focus on something other than pain.

Loud enough to freeze Kaworu in place entirely.

Loud enough to get Katsuragi's attention as Wunder pulled away.

Loud enough for Asuka to hear as her Entry Plug crashed landed.

Loud enough for the Black Narwhal and Unit-07 to hear in the distance.

Loud enough for the Mark.09 to gaze upwards with a chirr of fear.

Loud enough to make the world freeze in silence.

Unit-13's eyes were suddenly a blue color as it jerked different directions as if fighting itself. The smaller arms combined their strength with their larger counterparts, tugging the Lance out with a roar. A scream came in the form of the possessed Mark.09, scythe in hand as it readied for the kill. Unit-13 spun crashing the Angel weapon into Mark.09's shoulder blade.

The EVA screeched, firing out its distraction of a pilot to take on the larger EVA. Unit-13 dodged with almost human accuracy, dancing in the air almost before slamming its leg onto the Mark.09's open wound, sending it flying down.

"What the? Wha-What now?!" Shinji cried out, gritting teeth as he began tugging the controls. "What is this?! What the hell is happening now?! Give me a sign, something! _Anything_! Tell me!"

Sudden, his Entry Plug went black, as if it shut down entirely. He wheezed, clutching his heart as the pain doubled upon returning. He felt like he was going to die like this was a heart attack waiting to happen. Shinji tensed, feeling tears flow into the LCL as he prepared for his inevitable death.

* * *

Kaworu, in his Entry Plug, watched the screens around him flash suddenly wild colors. He was forced to look away, closing his eyes as the DDS Choker began whirling with increasing energy. His grip on the EVA controls steadily loosened as the whirling grew in his ear, and he finally smiled. "So you are in here after all?" He questioned, leaning back as he spoke a final goodbye to the Evangelion itself. "Please, don't look so gloomy. We'll meet again someday, all of us. So live on, and save him for me, Shiro-San!"

With that Kaworu's neck burst, his body exploding in a bubble of blood. Red spattered across the walls, floating in the LCL as the colorful screens sharply stopped on a dull, red glow. The glow came from the center, pulsing like a heartbeat as a pair of lone blue eyes hovered in the color.

They watched painfully as blood dripped down the control seat of the Entry Plug, half near getting into the controls. And yet, suddenly the movement of the blood stopped. The blood began shimmering, like tremors making it move before they began forming droplets. Droplets which began steadily leaving the walls and controls of Unit-13 as they formed together in the center.

* * *

"K-Kaworu!" Shinji screamed, trying to reach out to the walls, but only finding…. _Open space?_ He felt confusion take over as he moved his hands further into the dark, trying to find a wall, or a person, or something!

He felt more and more till he felt something, a _cloth_. It felt like leather, yet that wasn't possible. The Plugsuit's were made of strong elastic-like material, certainly not leather. So, _what_ was it?

Shinji found he could pull it towards him, and pull he did. It felt almost like an hour passed before he found his hand was pulled out the dark, and he froze. In his hand was a black leather biker jacket. But it wasn't just a simple jacket-no, it had several sowed on patch on the arms and breast area. The most noticeable being the word 'NEVEC' with a US Navy Captain's insignia below it. On the opposite arm was a stitch of a worn away 'NERV' emblem, a pilot's insignia below that too!

Finally, stitched on the front breast pocket sat a name. Ikari, S. "It can't be… Shir-?" Shinji was cut off by an explosion of bubbles which filled his vision, and a sudden tension all across his body. "L-LCL?!"

The pressure being built was strong, growing higher and higher as Shinji found himself losing his vision. He felt his body shake violently as the pressure before he finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Unit-13's eyes looked all around the world before it, and even downwards to the rising Black Moon which roared with energy. The EVA growled, looking up as it held either Lance. Slowly the Lances were forced together, grinding sharply as they began fusing. The result was a long handle, with either end forming a set of Longinus prongs.

Energy flared at the end tips, forging into orbs which clashed together in an explosion of light. The Doors of Guf shuttered, cracking like glass all around the radius as its fall apart. And fall apart it did; in one fell swoop, the Door began collapsing, the falling "shards" of energy being pulled upwards into the far station.

* * *

**Entry plug Command Bridge, AAA Wunder**

"Akagi, talk to me!" Katsuragi yelled to her vice-captain, who had a look of shock at the distant event. "What's happening?"

"I-I don't know! This has never happened before, the Doors of Guf should be closing now breaking down!" Ritsuko tried to explain, running all sort of new ideas and theories through her head. Was this part of Fourth Impact? Was it the interference of Wunder and her A.T Field? Was it Unit-13 in general, was it not meant to be a catalyst like Gendo wanted? What was it?!

"Mari, I need a sit-rep, what's happening up there?!" Katsuragi called to the radio system

"No idea, Captain! Haven't got the slightest clue…." Unit-08 laid atop a pile of floating debris, watching as Unit-13's long shoulder pylons began burning away, the particles flying into the breaking down Doors of Guf. Suddenly, a fast object rushed past Mari and her EVA, nearly sending her off the debris. "What the-? TRIDENT?!"

The TRIDENT rocketed through the flying up debris, firing at anything in its path as it crashed into Unit-13. The T-Rex designed machine cast itself and the now purple Evangelion downwards, flying towards the surface as the Doors of Guf cried with agony, exploding with a fiery inferno.

"Holy shit!" Mari exclaimed, her EVA being sent off by the after wave, as it and debris began falling back down. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, sh-!"

She was cut off from her rant as a familiar grey EVA lunged at her own, grabbing it by the waist as they flew into the air. "Unit-05? Is that you, Robot Shinji?"

_**"Don't fucking call me that, or I'm dropping you!"**_ Prodigium growled, forcing its giant frame to cruise away from the tilting Black Moon.

Buildings, Failures of Infinite; anything, not Evangelion or able to fly crashed violently back down to the surface, creating larger craters as the Black Moon loomed over Mt. Fuji. It dwarfed the Japanese mountain, the following shadow flowing across the land as it came back down to Earth with a world-shaking, sound-breaking thud. Finally, it was over, the remaining particles from the Doors of Guf dispersing as the world once more fell silent.

* * *

**Ex-SEELE Command Ship, (Monster Zero) Sarenidomu**

Fuyutsuki sighed in sorrow, looking through the video feed of the once prideful city turned wasteland. "What a terrifying sight to behold," he whispered, loud enough to make Gendo nod in agreement. "It seems though SEELE's plan didn't go perfectly, and you have your flesh and blood to thank for that."

"The destruction of the Doors of Guf is… devastating, yet I have no doubt it will send energy to the remaining Angels and Sarenidomu itself." Gendo replied, staring at the small feed on his desk. He glanced to the keychain around his wrist, and the Key to Nebuchadnezzar dangling off it. "Not only that but we've dealt with our biggest issues; the pathetic BM-04 clone is now dead, a mistake I will not redo, and Nagisa. Not to mention awakened Unit-13 and the soul within."

"And Captain Katsuragi's actions? Were they too, followed to the letter?"

"Yes, and with it, I have no doubt Shinji will revel in the truth NEVEC shall provide. Yes, this will do for now.

* * *

**AAA Wunder, outside Old Tokyo-03 perimeter**

Unit-05 and 08 landed aboard Wunder as she hovered in the air, gaining speed to escape the red land and the giant Black Moon. Her UN Fleet was now returned to its post, with the crew from any of the ships rushing to help repair the remains of Unit-02 Dash aboard the command ship._ "All ship, maintain current Guard State Level 2!"_

"No signs of Blood Type Blue in the vicinity!"

"_No NERV units detected in the airspace, we're all clear for now!"_

"_Emergency repairs of the central hull are now completed."_

"I'm not sure how, but it seems that Fourth Impact was luckily diverted," Ritsuko said, watching as patrol reports came in. There was no sign of Asuka being discovered, but they had found the Ayanami Clones Entry Plug in the rubble of Tokyo-03, so they now had a prisoner to interrogate. She looked over to her closest friend, who stared forward with a glare of both anger and pain. "And with no signs of the Black Narwhal or TRIDENT being found, it's safe to assume we won't have any problems for the time being."

"I suppose so," came the reply.

* * *

**Unit-13 Entry Plug**

Shinji breathed softly, the humming sounds of Unit-13's systems finally catching his ears. He blinked, rubbing his eyes as he yawned softly. He stretched, feeling his hand hit the Entry Plug ceiling as he woke up fully. "Ugh, what in the world is…? Going….. Holy God…" Shinji found himself wide awake now, looking through Unit-13's eyes at the sight before him.

Unit-13 sat in a large hangar bay, overlooking jets as they were moved from one place to another as men and women walked around the area. A large blue T-Rex design machine sat on the left of Shinji's view, with what looked like an Evangelion with four legs on the right.

"What is… going on?" Shinji was cut off as his Entry Plug suddenly ejected, escaping Unit-13's back as LCL was released. He coughed, spitting out the remaining LCL as the hatch opened.

"Hello?" A voice called, feminine and young, around his age even. "Are you in there? Are you alive? Cause it would suck if you weren't!"

"What are you-? Y-Yes, I am alive! Give me a sec to climb up!" Shinji snapped, pulling himself up. He crawled out the Plug hatch, rolling atop a catwalk flooring before being pulled up. He found himself staring at a light brown haired girl, with brown eyes and light skin. She wore a blue Plugsuit with the words 'US TRIDENT-01' across her arm. Honestly, she was beautiful in Shinji's eyes as she spoke.

"Phew! Glad to see you're not dead!" She exclaimed, letting go of Shinji and holding out he hand. "I'm Mana, Mana Kirishima, captain of NEVEC's neo-Washington TRIDENT battalion."

"U-Um… Nice to meet you? I'm Shinji, Shinji-"

"Ikari, right?" Mana cut him off, smiling wider much to Shinji's confusion and, somewhat internal worry. "I know. You a legend to everyone on Earth, and your brother told us all sorts of stupid stories about you during the Angel invasions at Tokyo-03."

"My…My _brother_? As in Shiro, my older brother? I-Is he here?!"

"Over here!" A voice suddenly called. It made Shinji's heart immediately flutter. Shinji took a step forward, nearly stumbling had it not been for the guard rail he used to pull himself up. He sharply turned with a grunt and froze with surprised eyes.

Before he stood… Kaworu Nagisa? No, it couldn't be. And in fact, he wasn't. His hair was brown like Shinji's own, and his once red eyes were replaced by greyish-blue pupils. He studied the seemingly older Kaworu clone as he spoke with another person, turning his head to meet Shinji's gaze.

Shinji squinted for a moment before he inhaled with a sharp gasp. The body was Kaworu's, yes, but he was older, _different_. And his eyes- the eyes, they were familiar to him…. "No, it-it can't be…" Shinji whispered, walking forward to the figure.

The man, the Kaworu clone… It wasn't Tabris. It was _him_.

It was a man Void of Evangelion, a man who bore dark blue colors across his Plugsuit. A man who always wore a black leather jacket across his body. A man who held a motorcycle helmet that Shinji had seen so many times before, and never thought he'd see again. A man with a smile, one so unique that Shinji never thought he'd receive it after today. A man who smiled happily, with tears of joys as he spoke to him.

"Hello, Shinji." The man was _Shiro Ikari._


	11. UPDATE 9:16:2019

**UPDATE**_** 9/16/2019, 8:36 P.M**_

_**Shiro: (walking with Kenji): Hey, remember KnightOfZ3R0?**_

_**Kenji: (sips a soda): Who?**_

_**Shiro: Zero! You know, thin guy, wears a mask? Yelled a lot?**_

_**Kenji: The guy who brings us soda and hot Cheetos?**_

_**Shiro: No, that's NERO! He's cool!**_

_**Kenji: Oh wait, Z3R0! Now I remember him!**_

_**Shiro: Yeah, remember when he said he'd have chapter 11 done by August 25**__**th**__**? And he never finished unloading it because of school and crap?**_

_**Kenji: Yep. I remember all right. And I remember I got a chapter one over you.**_

_**Shiro: HEY!**_

_**Kenji: (Phone beeps) Yep, this vacation has been pretty good with Z3R0 gone quiet. Anyhow, I'm getting a call from someone apparently. I wonder who it could ever be.**_

_**Phone Screen: IT IS I, ZZZ333RRR000!**_

_**Kenji: (Spits out soda in disbelief)**_

_**Shiro: WHAAAAAAATTT?!**_

_**YES, IT IS I! ZERO! Wait, no sorry… YES, Z3R0! The KnightOfZ3R0! And you, my readers, will be overjoyed to know Chapter 11 of Evangelion: We Can (And Will) Reverse This is a near-finished success!**_

_**Kenji: Z3R0?! We thought you were dead!**_

_**Could a dead Z3R0 do THHIII-IIIII-IIIIISSSS? (Does Pennywise dance on screen!) Ahem! Anyhow, yes I'm alive and I am working on EVA and Cease To EXist. The only reason I've been quiet recently is that I've been working around the clock for my final high school year, aiming to get into a college, and a TON of other things I have to do!**_

_**But now I'm back! And I'm ready to continue the stories of Shinji, Kenji and in the future….. Peace Walker.**_

_**ALSO, Chapter 11 shall contain exposition. Lots. Of. Exposition.**_

_**That Said, This Is The KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_

_**LEAVE! NO! EVIDENCE! (Phone explodes)**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**A/N: I told you I was back! No one believed me! HA! Well, who's laughing now?!**_

_**Shiro: I am! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

_**Shut up, or I'll Thanos your ass out of existence!**_

_**Shiro: You wouldn't!**_

**_Your right, I wouldn't. Your pretty chill._**

_**Anyways, Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/A.I/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Truth Part 1**

**Hangar Bay, US Black Narwhal Submarine Carrier**

Shinji stood, frozen with shock his older brother stood before him in the form of Kaworu Nagisa. "Hello, Shinji," Shiro said, beginning to walk up to him. As he did, Shinji tensed and held his arm up to his confusion. "Shinji?"

"Stop!" He yelled loudly, getting every crewmembers attention. Shinji didn't care about that, looking at 'Shiro' with a look of fear as he shook. "T-Tell me something only Shiro would know about me!"

"Something only I would know," Shiro said, putting a hand to his chin. "Hmm…." He walked in a small circle, turning with a look of recognition. "I got it! One time we walked to Rei's house to give her a new NERV card and you walked in on her naked!"

People snickered below, and Mana whistled innocently as Shinji's face flushed red. "Y-Yo-You promised never to bring that up!" He sputtered out.

"True, true that's a good argument. Counter-argument, if I didn't you wouldn't know if I was indeed Shiro or not!" Shiro replied with a grin.

"Oh yeah, your Shiro. No one else is a smartass like you." Shinji groaned, walking up to Shiro. He was still taller than him, sadly but it didn't matter as much compared to the fact his brother was here. Here and _real_, and _**alive**_ and-! Shinji felt his eyes water, and his smile began to crack as he felt himself hiccup. He bit his lip, looking at Shiro as he began crying. "I-I'm glad your back, Sh-Sh-Shiro-o."

"Oh, Shinji…" Shiro mumbled, hugging his brother as he began sobbing. His tears began falling, yet they weren't of shock or agony or pain. They were of joy, so much joy that he now had. "I'm here. It's all right…. I promise it's me."

* * *

**Old Tokyo-03, Black Moon Site**

Across the red land, Tokyo-03 now stood as a wasteland beyond repair. The Black Moon stood like a marking of taboo across Old Japan, its shadow looming over Mt. Fuji and the hole the vessel once sat in. Yet, deep within the hole, death stirred.

A single group of entities laid within the hull of a warship, which now steadily began rising. It was golden, with black linings across its long, bat-like wings. The wings connected to sharp blade-like points on either engine cell, with a center arrow-shaped bridge being longer than either.

The sunlight flared across the far end frame, revealing a long pair of bony like tails that stretched out the end front of the giant ribcage. The wings unveiled, stretching open with a dragon-like growl which echoed across the world. It sat smaller compared to his predecessor, the Wunder, only as 1500 meters. Yet still, it held a sense of… death as it roared to life.

SEELE-No, _Gendo's_ command ship, Sarenidomu, flared with energy as clouds of darkness surrounded its frame. The NERV Commander stood on a rectangular platform, looking through the screens towards the vast red ocean. "Hm, it seems even Colonel Katsuragi has been forced to abandon the Second Child, her greatest pilot up to date." He said, eying a small, distant human who marched through the red plain. "A pity, especially with the level of skill she has in piloting and commanding on the field."

"Perhaps Katsuragi believes Shikinami cannot be trusted with her recent actions," Fuyutsuki noted, looking towards the scans of the distant Ex-SEELE Cruiser. It was heading steadily across the red land, gracing the air as lightning flashed. "With the loss of Unit-02 and the missing Unit-13, it only seems to further point that her fears are taking holdover. Or maybe she simply had to abandon her, like Shinji before the Shikinami."

"Yes, and soon Shiro will add to her fears when Shinji learns the truth of what she did." Gendo continued, placing his hands behind him as he eyed the swirling clouds surrounding them. "Interesting, how the storm that surrounded us in Old-NERV now comes to consume us."

"Such is the way of Monster Zero, and the evil which surrounds it." Fuyutsuki grimaced, steadily recalling _how_ they first discovered the vessel. It was not of Angel or human origin, seemingly coming from a home the Ancestral Race hadn't 'colonized.'

"Yes. And now it's time for us to take our leave. Arceus," Gendo looked to a MAGI symbol, designed like the Japanese kanji for 'A.I.'

"_**Yes, Commander Ikari?"**_ The smooth voice of Arceus spoke out.

"Show me a status report on all function systems throughout Sarenidomu." The outline of the vessel came forth in a holographic display, each system glowing as Arceus spoke.

"_**Internal monorail systems now running at 87%. Corridor detachment segments 12-30 are active and ready for emergency evacuation. Autonomous Medical and Air ventilation are at full power, and the main engines are now initializing."**_

"And the 13th Angel? Has it been extracted from the reactor core?"

"_**Yes, though at the cost of Mark.09's originally modified S2 Engine, the 13**__**th**__** Angel Israfel has been extracted and taken to Storage level 04. No fluctuations in the Reactor Core so far."**_

"I see," Gendo nodded, walking away towards his desk at the far end. "Prepare the A.T Field Systems and maintain a course towards Neo-London. Keep radio silence with our European Mass-Production Array to a minimum. I will want a full scan detail of Katsuragi's Wunder once we arrive."

"_**Of course Commander."**_

"I will also require all data surrounding the Lance of Longinus, Spear of Cassius, with all entry logs of Specimen BM-04 and Evangelion Armaros uploaded to my Neural Interface." Gendo's visor flared, the word _**'AFFIRMATIVE'**_ flashing on it as he sat down. He glanced to his older friend. "You should rest, Professor. Recent events have been very… through in our favor to the scenario."

"I'd rather not, Ikari. I've already spent too much time resting with Death." Fuyutsuki noted, taking his leave. He seems as if he wanted to speak more, yet quickly silenced himself when Gendo began bringing up the logs.

* * *

Command Bridge, Black Narwhal

Shinji stood in awe beside Shiro, who had a grin on his face as the sight of the bridge below them. The bridge was segmented into two pieces; a large center terminal station where they stood, connecting to a secondary platform behind them, and a lower floor which focused on piloting the Narwhal itself and communications with the mainland.

"Wow, I have to admit you have me impressed. I mean, Wunder looked cool but this! This! This is a goddamn submarine, not to mention the biggest aircraft carrier I've ever seen!" Shinji exclaimed.

Shiro chuckled, walking over to a large holographic table surrounded by six seats. "Not really. It sits only at 2 kilometers, about the size of Wunder. But I admit it's pretty damn big for Nimitz-class Carrier turned Clandestine Sub-Carrier." He said, taking a seat. "So what do you think?"

"I think I'm in the right place, that's what I think!" Shinji exclaimed, taking a seat beside him. A few seconds later, another pair of teenagers entered. The first was Mana, still in her Plugsuit; the other was a boy around the same age with tanned skin, brown eyes and dark blue hair dressed in a grey jacket and matching cargo pants.

"Ah, that's right I haven't introduced you to our saviors," Shiro said, gesturing to the pair. "You already know Mana over here, Captain of the TRIDENT Battalion for New Washington D.C. This is Sub-Commander Musashi Strasberg, our head at WILLE's US Branch."

"So you're Shiro's little brother, hm? I expected someone a bit taller!" Mana teased, taking a seat.

"Hey!" Shinji protested. "I'll have you know I used to drink milk!"

"Leave the poor guy alone, Mana! He's had along… well, everything." Musashi defended, sitting across from Shiro and undoing his jacket to reveal a white tank top underneath. "Anyways, I'll let you know Captain Ikari that we are on route to NEVEC US, and will be there within… eh, probably a week or two? I don't know; the point is we're going home!"

"Yes! I have been meaning to sleep in a real bed, not inside an Evangelion core…" Shiro said, getting Shinji's attention.

"Wait-wait, wait, wait, did I hear that right? EVA Core? You were inside an EVA core too?!" Shinji gasped. "So wait, happened while I was out? What's NEVEC? Why do you look like _Kaworu_?! And what the hell is going on-?!"

"Easy Shinji, relax!" A voice said, gruff yet extremely familiar to Shinji. The Third Child flashed around to see an older man in a blue dress shirt and black pants rising on a nearby platform, yet the ponytail and uncut beard easily gave away who he was. "You acting more like Asuka on her tenth cup of coffee than yourself!"

"Kaji?" Shinji questioned in shock.

"The one and only!" The Inspector gave a salute and grin.

"It's time you learned the truth, Shinji. The truth that Misato has tried to keep secret," Shiro said, flicking the table to life. Kaji took his seat as the table displayed a holographic video, a camera feed of the old Geo-Front, and the year of recording was 2015.

"Is this…?" Shinji found himself staring at a video filled with red, the outline of a purple Evangelion glowing vivid colors in the center adding to confirmation.

"Yes," Shiro said with a grim nod. "This is Third Impact, just after Zeruel was killed."

* * *

**Geo-Front Camera System Link 12, October 18th, 2015**

"_So it is true, the beginning and end are the same, with life at the center, transcending above all else," Ritsuko said, as she, Misato and several other NERV technicians watched the sight before them. Unit-01's once green highlights were now crimson red as it hovered in the air, the Chamber of Guf opening above and dragging whatever it could into its void. "This is it, where the old life goes to end, and where our evolution begins at the cost of ourselves."_

_Misato stared up in terror, her eyes watering with fear as she clutched the necklace she wore ever since __**that**__ day. "It-It's just like 15 years ago….. The W-Wings of Light!" She whispered, watching wings of pure Angel energy began forming around the EVA. "It can't be! Is it…?"_

"_Yes," Ritsuko confirmed. "This is the next stage after the Second Impact, Third Impact. And this time, nothing can stop it…."_

_She sighed heavily, looking towards Misato who was shaking like a leaf as Unit-01 began to flare with energy. She grabbed her friend, hugging her tightly as both them and the technicians prepared for their inevitable deaths. And for a moment, it seemed like it was; the world was finally coming to an end, the end NERV was so desperately fighting to keep humanity from the meeting. Now it was seemingly inevitable._

_Seemingly._

_Just as Unit-01 opened its jaw, as if preparing to give the mother of all roars in history, an object with unparalleled speed tore through the Chamber of Guf and slammed into Unit-01's back, coming right out of the core. Almost immediately, the Doors of Guf dispersed and Unit-01 was disabled, losing every inch of power as is began lowering to the ground._

_Misato opened her eyes, looking to see Hyuga, Shigeru, and Maya looking to the sky in shock. She looked up herself, blinked as she saw the moon in place of the once shimmer red disc in the sky. "What the hell?" She whispered, squinting. "What is that? A Spear?"_

_The thing embedded into Unit-01's core was red, with a green diamond in the blade and a twisted end on the opposite of the EVA. Unit-01 itself was now dull, lifeless and dead as it fell to the ground, hunched over._

"_Hey, look up there!" Hyuga yelled, pointing to the sky. As everyone looked, a dark silhouette appeared, revealed by the moonlight as it descended._

_It was humanoid, with a thing halo over its head and the only other colors showing its body being yellow lights and a red glowing visor. "It can't be…. Evangelion Mark.06?" Ritsuko whispered in shock._

_The Evangelion was dark blue, with orange highlights across its frame. It was sleek and thin like Unit-01, with yellow trims across the arms, knees, and shoulder pylons. The head eerily resembled that of Unit-01, having a horn with a sharp-pointed visor veering its glowing eyes._

"_Evangelion Mark.06? I thought there were only 7 EVAs, Unit-05 being the last!" Misato said, glaring over to her shocked friend. But it fell when she saw Ritsuko's now scared face._

"_So did I…" She whispered, watching the blue Evangelion landed in silence._

* * *

**End Video**

Shinji had a look of horror and shock on his face, blinking at the video he had just witnessed. "Oh my God, I…. I don't understand if-if Third Impact was stopped by the Mark.06 then why is Earth so… so-?"

"Fucked up?" Shiro said, getting a pained look from Shinji. "Well, contrary to Katsuragi's words, Earth is **_not_ **destroyed. Most of the damage was kept within Japan while the rest of Earth felt the largest earthquake up to date. You can blame our father, Gendo for how Japan looks now, though. All the tests he did before and after that day, trying to activate Unit-01 with what power he still had. I'll be honest, I don't remember much after Zeruel shredded Null Unit, what I remember is a pain. Lots of it.

The Zathura A.I did what it could to heal me along with the LCL, so I was mostly okay when Mari pulled me out and atop it. She was saying something, almost happy about what was going on but I couldn't make it out. I honestly don't think I cared enough to make it out, all I cared about at the moment was where you were and if you were safe. I must have realized all I had to do what look in the sky to see you trapped in there.

"So close, yet beyond my reach…. Unit-01, it…." Shiro sighed, leaning back as he licked his lips as if trying to find the right words. "When it awoke, it didn't seem like an Evangelion anymore, barely even machine; it looked more like an Angel. More like Adam. I guess, when I look back now, it's one of the few reasons Misato didn't want you in it any more than you were. I woke up later to find myself aboard the UN's Aircraft Carrier Over the Rainbow, along with the rest of NERV's staff, exactly 1 year after the incident."

"As it turned out, Unit-01 had gone into deep hibernation after the Mark.06 threw its Spear into the S2 Engine. NERV and the JDSSF formed into a joint-operation under the UN's command, working around the clock to repair both the Geo-Front and reactivating Unit-01."

"Ritsuko had tried time after time again to use Dummy Plug Systems and Devil System A.I's to charge Unit-01's S2 Engine back online, but nothing was competing with her. It was as if Unit-01 intentionally was keeping you inside, or maybe opposite; you didn't want to come out…"

Shinji fidgeted in his seat with discomfort. "How did you guys take it?"

Shiro breathed hotly in angst. "I honestly broke, little brother. I felt as if I'd failed you, failed myself, and failed Misato as a friend; without you there I…. I just gave up."

"Gave up? Shiro, you-you never give up though!"

"Even the brightest of heroes break," Shiro said with a sad smile. "I grew into a deep depression when I realized I was nowhere near close to seeing you again, and with Rei inside with you and Asuka in a coma, things looked bleak. But then, our beacon appeared in the form of Misato, not surprisingly she pulled most of us back together. The reminder that the Angels still existed and the secrets NERV was been hiding from us fueled our hunger to uncover the truth."

"It was around that time that Misato revealed Ritsuko wasn't working on Unit-01, but on house arrest per Gendo's orders! The many attempts as reactivating Unit-01 didn't mean much to the Commander anymore, so he decided to simply leave it off, and cast it into the depths of Central Dogma."

Kaji nodded in confirmation. "They went into Section 2's Jail center, and found out Ritsuko had discovered Unit-01 wasn't per se hibernating, just… resistant."

"Resistant?" Shinji said before he realized. "The Combat System."

Kaji nodded grimly. "I couldn't make out much of the science, but I could make out facts. Fact is Unit-01 wasn't willing to give you back to the land of the living and the subconscious soul inside was unwilling to cooperate."

"Well, who was it? Was it Rei or… Mother?"

Shiro shrugged. "We're honestly not sure still. It may be that because of Rei's desire to be with you and your desire to stop fighting caused Unit-01 to keep you enclosed in the core. It may have been Yui trying to show you something, we have no clue."

"Okay…. Okay, so I'm hearing a lot about Unit-01, but what about the Mark.06 and Kaworu? What happened to them?"

"Kaworu was taken in by Gendo and Professor Fuyutsuki questioned about his EVA, the Spear, everything. We discovered later that SEELE wasn't taking the near apocalypse too well. The fact the Geo-Front had been torn to shreds with ease, not to mention the unauthorized activation and use of the Mark.06 forced SEELE into a corner, something Gendo exploited for the next 5 years."

He continued, "It was strange; the first time meeting the white albino. He said "It's odd," and when asked what was he replied that "The Earth was the same, yet it wasn't."

"What does that mean?" Shinji asked, thought Shiro shook his head in shame.

"Honestly haven't got a clue," He responded, leaning forward. "Anyhow, after I met up with Kaworu and Aunt Mari, Kaji had us transported back to the UN Pacific Fleet, with a newly awoken Asuka."

Shinji looked deeper in shock. "Asuka? She was awake then?"

"Alive, yes. Well… er, sort of. Because of the infection, Bardiel had left in her body, Asuka was forced to wear a Nullification Eyepatch. It helped lower the unstable energy Bardiel had left, and slowly kill whatever was left of the virus itself." He explained, flipping through several images across the table. He settles on an image of the Fleet, alongside several airships and NERV transports in the sea. "In the end, she saw me land, I saw her on board; it doesn't take a genius to realize where it went."

"Oh my God, you guys fought didn't you?" Shinji groaned. He huffed, somewhat unsurprised by this action. "How'd it go?"

"Oh you know, the usual: she walked up to me and punched me flat in the face and proceeded to scold me, saying I should have tried harder…" Shiro frowned. "Much harder…."

It fell silent for a moment, and it seemed almost as if Shiro was done talking. Not that Shinji could blame him; all the pressure put onto him had taken its toll with his presumed "death." That's when Kaji sighed. "It wasn't your fault, Shiro. None of us could have assumed that would happen to Unit-03, not to mention that VEELE was an Angel-Hybrid."

"That doesn't change anything, Shinji! Seeing Asuka that way she was, broken and pained, it didn't help me feel like I did well, far from it, it made me feel worse..."

"Oh, Shiro…." Shinji sadly murmured, putting a hand to his brother's shoulder. Shiro froze somewhat, looking towards Shinji who gave an almost warming smile to him. "It's fine. We're here; I'm here. You kept your promise to me… to protect me, even now."

"No…. No, I didn't…." Shiro murmured, shaking his head at his disapproval. "I could have done better…. Much, much better…."

He grew silent again, and for a moment it stayed that way before Shinji heard Kaji sigh. "In the end, we did what we did to push on. And when Unit-01 came, it seemingly grew worse…"

Shinji blinked in confusion. "Wait-I'm confused. You said Unit-01 was in 'hibernation,' what do you mean when it came?"

"Let me explain," Shiro flipped to another image, revealing a holographic display of the Geo-Front with a center object. The display zoomed to reveal it was Unit-01, yet… Shinji blinked. Unit-01 looked much more different than what he recalled; a less humanoid body frame in place for a bulkier form, less green across the body, and overall it just looked much… older. "This is what we discovered. A Unit-01 built seemingly close to the original, with minor details to change. And for the first time in a very long while, no one knew what to make of it."

"Not Gendo, not Ritsuko, no one… Except for Kaworu." That got Shinji's attention focused back onto a grimly eyed Shiro. "Kaworu was the only one who saw this Unit-01 and said loud enough for everyone to hear, "This! This is the one! This is the Unit-01 I've come to know and adore every time I am reborn!"

"'Every time I'm reborn'?" Shinji repeated quietly. "What does that-?"

"We asked," Kaji remarked, looking to Shinji. "He didn't give much detail aside from saying 'The Cycle is broken….' Which was some sort of red light to Ritsuko because she rushed back to her lab and went close to near scientist psycho mode before she broke it down."

"The Cycle of Evangelion…" Shiro mused, chuckling with a roll in his eyes. "The theory that once the Third Impact ends, Earth and humanity restart."

"Restart?"

"Rebirth," Shiro corrected. "The moment Third Impact is finished, Earth is reset right to the point in time where Adam first arrived on Earth. And the cycle repeats, over and over and over, making our planet suffer worse every time."

"Is-Is that even possible?"

"Probably, yes. At least we assume it was a possibility," Shiro nodded, before sighing. "And it was proven right the moment we connected with Unit-01's combat system logs." He flipped the display, bringing up several listed logs all labeled 'Unit-01.1 Data Logs.' "The things we saw and heard from that EVA; a full-out attack on NERV by SEELE through the JDSSF, an entire squadron of Mass-Produced EVA drones fighting Unit-01 and 02, Third Impact…. It was a lot…. A real lot."

"The video footage, the imagery kept on the databanks, the physical Evangelion itself…. It all leads to the reality that the Cycle Theory was true and that it was really what was happening."

"But…. But that would mean that what we did…. What happened to Zeruel, that wasn't supposed to happen…? Was it?"

"No," Kaji called, getting the teens attention. The look on his face made Shinji freeze up as he spoke. "It wasn't. When you fought Zeruel, we lost. And Earth surfer for it, that is true. But that EVA… That Unit-01 clone didn't lose. Far from it, instead Unit-01… ate the Angel."

"Ate the Angel? As in devoured the Angel?"

"Yes. And the fact we had a physical person who could vouch for it convinced us it was all true."

"No….No, that…. That's not….. It can't be…. Can it?"

"Shinji, we live in a world where humanity relies on child soldier to lead the war against both outer space aliens, and itself. And the evidence helped proved it," Shiro remarked. Shinji sat there for a moment, just silent. He slowly leaned back, falling into his seat in though and dread.

"How did…" he struggled to speak. "How did Misato take it?"

Shiro grimaced. "Bad; the very thought that everything she'd done, every action she gave, every order that put us all on the line, every time she nearly got us all killed against Zeruel and Bardiel hit harder than anything before. It made her realize that her vengeance for the Angels killing her father meant nothing."

Shinji felt his heart tug tightly. He did all this, unintentionally yet but it all still fell onto his shoulders…. Shiro frowned painfully as Shinji felt tears burn in his eyes. "But…" His brother tilted his head up, barely. "We did perceiver. The fact that some people existed here in comparison to the older EVA's logs proved something was different, off."

"So reluctantly, Misato agreed to help in whatever way she could. She and Kaji traveled down to Terminal Dogma, hoping to understand more about this… Time Loop and if anything that occurred in Second Impact may have affected it in general." Shiro explained. "With a mostly rebuild Null Unit, Asuka and I traveled into NERV in search of Kaworu, who seemingly vanished in the weeks after discovering Unit-01.1. Kaji, tell us what you found out."

The ponytail haired man nodded, leaning forward. "Right. After a bit of digging through the MAGI systems and old GERHIM logs, we discovered that Second Impact wasn't accidentally triggered. It was _intentionally_ made to happen…. By SEELE."

"What?!" Shinji cried out, standing up with a look of horror. "So that means all those people, all those countries, all those effects did to Earth were-they fucking intended to happen?!"

Kaji nodded. "Yep, all according to SEELE's plan. The moment Kaworu was in their possession, they forced him to tell _everything_ he knew. It worked in their favor sadly; they discovered the Angel egg of Bardiel and siphoned a sample of its DNA to implant into Keel's son, Vincent Keel."

"VEELE," Shiro called.

"And then… they went silent. Nothing for a year or so from them before they returned, different and seemingly ready to continue their plan from a much more different angle. They kept a tighter leash on Gendo, they began production on Unit-05, 13 and the MP EVA's immediately in secret, and began to look deeper into Artificial Intelligence theories through Akabe Keel."

"Akabe Keel?" Shinji started.

"Vincent's older cousin, who worked under SEELE's command to create the DEVIL A.I system in the U.S and was the head director of NERV U.S's Human Sanity Experiment." Shiro's hands twitched slightly. Kaji hummed like he was trying to figure out how to word his next words properly. "The… The experiment was said to act as a means to test deep human closure for EVA piloting in the event an Evangelion it trapped in an unknown area for long periods. The subjects consisted of grown adults and teens. The result was a room full of dead bodies, scratched and broken walls…. Save for one person."

"Well, who?" When Shinji looked around, he noticed the shift in uncomfortableness everyone now had. And the look Shiro had on his face, it was a look of pure pain, grief, rage, hatred; so many emotions that Shinji couldn't comprehend until it hit him. "Oh my God…. It was you? You were that child, that teen, weren't you Shiro….?"

Shiro looked down painfully. "When…. It was around 2007, a good year after I was sent to NERV's US Branch… I was 11 at the time when I was enlisted to the Human Sanity Experiment. 12 subjects, 36 hours of silence…. And a result which left me scarred mentally." He breathed, tightening his hand into a fist as he spoke. "Long story short, Vincent and I were enlisted once the Experiment was done into Project E., with me surpassing to become Null Unit's pilot when I was 13… The rest is… well, history best kept in the dark."

Shinji felt horrified. How could a monster do something like this to a person-no, to a child?! He felt terrible for Shiro, even more than he had before, and now it seemed like it only got worse afterward.

"Shiro, I…. Oh my God, I… I am so sorry…." He whispered, feeling his tears finally crease down his cheeks. He felt so bad, so pained to know that his older brother went through that, all that pain and agony just for the sake of protecting him, his stupid problem making little brother.

Shiro looked towards his now pained brother and felt his anger fade gently away. Steadily, he lifted his hand, wiping a tear off his brother's cheek as Shinji looked to him with pain. "Don't apologize," he said with a smile. "It's like you said; we're fine. And YOU'RE fine. And honestly, if I had to go through all of that just to see you one more time, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Shinji stared at his older brother, sniffling slightly as he nodded with a forced smile. "Your right," he breathed, gathering his emotions to retain a now much more serious look in his eyes. "Please… Please tell me more…"


	13. Chapter 12

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The** **Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_  
SEELE/A.I/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Truth Part 2**

**Black Narwhal, 2 weeks from Old California**

Kaji looked towards Shiro, who nodded and continued for him. "While Misato and Kaji left back to the UN Fleet to explain what happened in 2001, Asuka and I traveled to find Kaworu We found him, standing by the Mark.06 above the shaft which lead into Terminal Dogma. He said he couldn't feel any of Lilith's energy in the chamber below, and it physically made him… disturbed. At least that's what I make of it, even now. Anyhow, we confronted him there, and asked the inevitable question: Was everything he said true, was he a real Angel and was this Cycle idea real?"

Shinji leaned on as his brother spoke. "And…?"

Shiro nodded grimly. "Yes, it was true. Kaworu was created by the Contact Experiment, Second Impact. His body was made with the DNA of a human and the soul of Adam. He was kept under SEELE's housing, with VEELE acting as his… "bodyguard," and the Mark.06 given as a gift to "Get the job done."

"Third Impact…?"

"Yes," Shiro nodded, bring up the image of the Cycle Unit-01 once more, now covered in chains with its Longinus Dual-Blade at its side. "Unit-01 was used as the catalyst for Third Impact every time for Third Impact, but SEELE now wanted something different. They wanted Third Impact done to the letter in their favor, not our mother, our father or even our desires."

"So instead of using Unit-01, they built the Mark.06 to speed up Third Impact ahead of schedule?"

"From what we've been told yes, and they kept Unit-13 in the background if Mark.06 or Kaworu every got captured or used against them." Kaji cut in. "Lorenzo Keel was given full command of NERV Moon Base Tabitha, while Zarth Keel his son was given control over the U.N Council."

"How did uh… How did Asuka take it?" Shiro snickered at the question.

"Oh, the usual Asuka way: ran up to him, yelled he was lying and then tried strangling him. It blew up in her face though when Kaworu, seemingly out of thin fucking air, calmed her down."

"Huh?" Shinji blinked. "Asuka? Calm? As in... Calm, calm? Kaworu. Calmed. Asuka. Down? Like, in a normal way?"

"Yeah, it freaked me out how calm she got after that. All he did was put his hand over her eyepatch, and I guess it killed close to all the pain she had there. It was enough to get Asuka to reheard him with a calm head, and finally gave her questions, the obvious most important one being could we really trust and Angel with the soul of Adam himself?"

"He said that it was Gendo we should have been worried about…. And that's where it all went to hell…." The image of Cycle Unit-01 dispersed in favor of a video feed from old Terminal Dogma. It was of Mark.06 violently shaking, growling loudly as its body flashed white and red. "The Mark.06 went from being a normal Evangelion to 'Holy Shit, It's Adam Number 2!' That said, Mark.06 lowered in the center chamber, forcefully fusing into Lilith's body."

"Oh my God…"

"Yeah…. It was bad. The energy the now fused Lilith-Mark.06 hybrid gave off was… unique, to say the least. It would have spread fully had it now been for Kaworu, Asuka and I purging the shaft with a Nullification Barrier. The same Barrier which you and Kaworu used with Unit-13 to enter Lilith's chamber. Once that was done and over, we returned to the surface to find people have a… existential crisis."

"Crisis? What was it, the red land?"

"No, no! That came later. The energy wave created by Lilith destroyed the once repaired Geo-Front and revealed something… new."

"New?" Shinji cautiously asked.

"Yes, new… Very new." Shinji tensed a bit as Shiro continued. "A few hours of research by Ritsuko revealed what this "New" thing was. As it turns out, Lilith's energy wave created a new strand of DNA, fused with Angel and human DNA cells. It washed over anyone in the radius, overwriting and mutating the DAF-2 Genes to the point where they were put into a pseudo comatose state. Now, mentally yes everyone from NERV has aged, but physically everyone looks mostly the same with a few changes."

"That-That's possible?"

Shiro nodded, gesturing to Kaji, Mana, and Musashi. "Look at them! I'd met Mana and Musashi when they were about 10 and 12 in… What was it? 20….17? Yep, 2017! And Kaji… well, just look at him!"

Kaji grinned. "Yep. Handsome, charming, sexy-"

"Old." Silence ensued. "Same. Old. Man."

"….Oh." Shinji chuckled, and Shiro quietly smiled with snickers from the other two.

"Alright! Anyways, after the whole… immortality episode, we left. The Geo-Front, NERV, Second Impact being rigged, Lilith's love wave… thing, it was too much for everyone. For the most, we were stationed to the NERV German Branch, now under European control. In those 3 years leading up to 2020, we trained. We trained, and trained, working to burn down NERV's forces till the time was right."

"Maya had gone off get grade-A military training with Hyuga and Makoto, Mana began test piloting the experimental TRIDENT mech with Musashi test piloting Unit-07, Mari and Asuka did combat training with recruits and for the most, I kept to myself," Shiro explained. "I don't know, guess I didn't feel my time was right to connect with everyone again until the moment of truth; the raid on NERV HQ."

"That's where it all went downhill," Kaji murmured, gaining Shinji's attention. "When we arrived, Tokyo-03 was littered in EVA corpses, the ground was now vivid red, and it seemed almost organic, pulsing and alive even. In the end, we made it to NERV HQ with relative ease, ready to arrest finally Gendo and Fuyutsuki."

"How did it go?"

"About as well as you'd expect," Shiro remarked, leaning back into his seat. The table shifted to the image of NERV HQ, now eerily sitting atop a red mountain-like top, the pyramid standing like an old, haunted mansion of the sorts. "We searched NERV HQ for hours; from Central Dogma down to the Nullification Barrier station. It wasn't till the 3rd day that Gendo graced us with an audience in Terminal Dogma at the old Command Center…." He trailed once more, though it came off as forced.

"So… What happened?" Shinji asked.

Everyone looked away, almost in shame, while Shiro just seemed to lose any energy he still had. "Well… Let's just say it didn't go the way we imagined. We went in; Misato and me. The others insisted on us all going in together, yet we refused. I didn't want to see anyone else get pulled into our family issues and Misato… well, it was personal to her. She needed closure…. We never really got that closure to begin with…"

Shinji blinked; a bit uneasy now at Shiro's choice of words. "Shiro, you can tell me. What happened?"

Shiro sharply inhaled, his eyes now hollow of emotion save for pain and anger. "We… We went in, guns ready demanding that Gendo come with us. He refused, saying it was pointless as everything was beginning to fall into place. He said that with SEELE so focused on gaining back resources, and us working to gain any advantages we could reach, NERV was relatively left unchecked. Gendo was left unchecked, and boy… boy, oh boy did he built something. A clone of Unit-01 that successfully activated and worked; a God Killer, an EVA Slayer even…."

Shinji blinked in confusion, unsure of what his brother meant before it began dawning on him. "It was the Black EVA…. The Armaros EVA, right?"

Shiro nodded grimly. "Yes. You should have seen it then, Shinji. The red glow it had, the aura of death it was giving off; it was like an Angel and an EVA had a baby, and Armaros WAS that baby. Luckily, though it didn't have a pilot, something that Gendo intentionally had done. He wanted me to pilot it, to pilot that-that fucking demon."

Shinji tried thinking of that for a moment; the image of Shiro, laughing like an insane person while piloting Armaros…. It made his stomach wrench in pain as he asked, "What did you do?"

Shiro snorted. "Well, I did the only sane thing I would do; I refused. But then… Then he brought it out, his trump card if you would…. He brought out you."

Shinji blinked. "ME?" He asked confused. "Like… Me? But you said I was stuck in Unit-01, I-I don't understand-"

Shiro raised his hand, cutting him off. "I know. And believe me, you WERE still in Unit-01. What we say was what is unanimously been called a Biological Model, or BM-01. When he brought it out, Misato nearly had a heart attack and I half near dropped my rifle. Gendo said he didn't want it; he hadn't wanted any of what had transpired in 2015 happen and that he was only continuing to do this for the sake of Yui. The sake of having a family again…."

"Yeah, I heard something similar to that from Kaworu and BM-04…." Shinji remarked, shuttering at the memories of their…. 'conversation.' "Did you believe him?"

Shiro didn't speak for a moment, casting his gaze downwards. "A part of me wanted to. Apart of me wanted to believe that Gendo Ikari was in there somewhere, the man who I'd known as my real father when you and I were brought into the world still existed, holding onto whatever love he still had for us. That maybe, just maybe he wasn't as insane as I'd imagined…. But in the end, I knew it was just a ruse to get me to join with him…."

"I said that the past had to stay dead and if it meant killing my chance to be with our mother again than so be it! And I shot him right in the eye. Freaked the hell out of the BM luckily and got us to rescue it as Armaros began coming online, Dummy Plug Systems be damned."

"Even with the power of two EVA, Armaros wiped the floor with us. Unit-02 lost her upper eyes and left shoulder blade, arm included, and Null Unit lost its ankle and hip armor. Overall, we had our asses kicked but came back with the prize of what we believed was you." Shiro felt his eyes burn with tears, but he forced them back. "The moment we landed on Over the Rainbow, Misato broke down; tears, man! Mascara running down her face, she was so happy to think it was you."

Shinji felt a bit of a smile come to his face. Even if it was a fake, a part of him was happy to image Misato being herself rather than what she was now. "I can only guess it got crazier, didn't it?"

Shiro inhaled, nodded as he bit his lip tightly. "The BM, it… It acted differently compared to you. Shinji, you're like me you have a backbone and are open to calling things out when you see it. This BM, it-it was nothing like you. In any way of form; mellow, scared a helluva a lot more laid back like the past 5 years were nothing. And that's how I knew… How I knew it wasn't you."

"And I got my confirmation the moment, the second I told the others."

"Others?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? Toji and Kensuke. They uh, hehe they work with us."

"Toji." Shinji breathed, letting that process in his head for a moment. "As in Toji Suzuhara?"

"Yes."

"Toji Toji?"

"Yes," Shiro repeated.

"The guy who I went to school with? THAT Toji?!"

"Yes!" Shiro repeated. "And Kensuke too! They work with R&D at NEVEC's US HQ."

Shinji breathed in shock, and the weight that sat on his shoulders went up just a bit more. For a moment he was happy, happy to know his friends were alive and happy to know that he would be seeing them in the future soon. But then the realization that they once stood near something that looked like him, something that… something evil made him twitch with rage.

"Oh, God what did that son of a bitch do to them?!" He growled, practically begging to know what that thing did to his friends.

"Well, luckily all he did was dislocate Kensuke's arm and break Suzuhara's nose before finally showing its true colors; literally, the thing's skin turned black with red eyes like a zombie or something!" Kaji called, fixing his cigarette as he spoke. "In the end, this guy and Misato ended up hanging it from the bow of Rainbow's catapult systems."

"We learned that Akabe Keel, in secret, had been working on a secret-well, not so secret now- a project that was based on the Human Sanity Experiment. It doesn't take a genius to realize that a cannibalistic personality combined with the face of Shinji Ikari makes one hell of a story to spread to the world." Shiro growled, twitching as Kaji brought up the video of that day.

The create-that thing, its body twisted and turned violently like Bardiel's own, with that god-awful laughter as it ripped apart its face. But he did it in well in the end, ripping it body piece by piece with Misato's help, possibly the last time she'd ever help him and vise-Versa.

"My God…. And people believed this? That… that this thing, this BM creature was the real me?!" Shinji yelled, anger and horror crackling in his voice as he did.

"Yes and no. When the BM was finally killed and its body was fully dissected, everyone was split. The UN had completely forbidden ANYONE from getting near NERV or Japan entirely once the rest were evacuated off-island. The US lent whatever resources they could, but even that wasn't enough to soothe the desire some had to return."

"I began spending a lot more time to myself, my depression had finally kicked back into high gear," Shiro explained, glancing to his covered wrists before back to his brother. "A part of me didn't buy that this was it, and others didn't either. The thought that this was Gendo's last plan for us didn't sit well with me, but… Well, none of us could do anything about it.

"And Misato, she…. She broke, gave up even. She drew herself in as paranoia took over logic. The only ones she trusted were Ritsuko, Asuka, Mari, and I. And when that happened, the Misato we both grew to know, and love began to fade in favor of 'Captain Katsuragi.' She began working more and more with the UN, and the thought that she'd see you again, the real you just… vanished into the cold air"

Shinji felt his eyes beginning to water as his brother spoke. All of this…. All this pain, and death and distrust it all because of him-no, it was all because of their father. The fucking nut who thought his wife was still in Unit-01. He felt his hand tighten more as he croaked, "So, what happened? You guys aren't on talking terms, so you had to have had some sort of fallout…."

"You can… say that…" Shiro rubbed his eyes, fixing his collar as he breathed sharply. A part of him didn't want to talk about the next events. A part of him didn't want to talk at all even. But he had to.

He _wanted_ to.

He _needed_ to tell them. To tell Shinji why his surrogate mother wanted his head, and why he vanished off the face of Earth, unable to lead his friends and family until now.

"It was 2021 when it started. Tensions were high; a good chunk of the Branch was split on who to follow: Katsuragi or myself. And when NERV launched their NEMESIS Series, things were looking bleak. Ritsuko had brought us in one day, explaining that a scout for the UN forces had discovered activity near the Mudake University, the place that gave NERV the names of their EVA pilots. It was abandoned after the Raid on NERV, but we never really bothered with it until then."

"I was unable to go at the time as I was helping Musashi with EVA testing, so Asuka was sent with a squadron of UN soldiers to investigate…" His face twitched as he spoke. "We didn't hear from her for 6 weeks, which was enough for me to finally question if a rescues attempt would happen. Do you know what she told me, Shinji?"

Shinji breathed, forced his head to shake as his brother spoke. "She said then that was it then, that if Asuka was dead then that was just that! Like-Like her life meant fucking to her! I asked her-no, begged her to let someone go look for Asuka, let _me_ go look for Asuka, but she refused. Said that "We shouldn't waste our time on lost resources, and that a leader shouldn't waste time on trivial things like one person's life."

"No…. No, Misato she…. She wouldn't do that…. She wouldn't do that to…to…" The memory of Misato ordering that collar to go onto his neck, and the image of her at the ready to pull the trigger flared vividly in his mind, every detail, every color. "No…. No, no, no, no, no why? Why would she do that?!"

"I don't know… I guess she just didn't want to see anyone else she knew dead, or maybe all the hope she had in her finally died with her soul…." Shiro remarked, remembering the anger he had then. "I wasn't having any of it though. I took the Null Unit and left for Mudake, even as Misato barked and yelled for me to stay."

"I couldn't. I wouldn't. I would not stand by like some coward while one of my friends was out there, possibly dying," Shiro explained, bring up a video screenshot. It was an image of the Null Unit, standing in the center of the desolated and burning military base. "I tore that place apart, searching for hours, day and night for Asuka."

"My luck finally came in the form of blood-_her_ blood. I followed it, traversing deep into the dark corridors of Mudake's underground areas. When I found Asuka…." Shinji watched his brother shake, almost as if he was struggling to speak. He stayed that way for a moment, making Shinji worry more and more before he continued. "The things they-no. The things IT was doing to her…. It haunts me; every day, every hour, every minute of my life."

"I remember seeing red. Just uncontrollable, unbridled rage that took over me and the next thing I knew I was standing outside with Asuka, blood covering every inch of me." Shinji gasped in horror, and the other looked towards Shiro in sadness. "I… I let that part of me out, the that-that demon in me that I tried to bury so long ago just…. It got out and-and killed that creature with no remorse, no regret, nothing… It was like I was an entirely different person."

Shiro shook in his seat, the memory of that day. The image of Asuka's terrified face burned in his eyes, and the blood that splattered across them both still sat across his body in his head. "I…. When I brought back Asuka, she was taken immediately to Medical, and from there physiological examination. And Misato she...Ngh, how could I forget that day..."

* * *

_**Flashback UN German Branch, 2021**_

"_This isn't looking good Shiro," Mana whispered to her friend, looking at the staff glaring here and there. "There's so much tension now it's unbreathable here…."_

"_No kidding." The masked pilot remarked. "I only hope that Misato will listen to me about this, otherwise this will only get-"_

_"What the hell was that all about?!" Katsuragi's voice screamed out, her silhouette forming as she pointed an accusing finger at the man. "I gave you a direct order, Shiro! A direct fucking order and you disregarded it like nothing!"_

_Shiro turned towards her, putting his helmet aside as crew and staff nervously looked about. "Oh, I'm sorry, Katsuragi I was a little busy making sure no one dies while you keep up your shitty little Gendo Ikari act!"_

_"What the hell does that mean?!"_

_"You know damn well what it fucking means!" He snapped, gaining more attention as staff and crew turned in their direction. "You think you are so fucking clever, don't you?! "Oh, look at me my name's Misato! If I act like nothing and no one means anything to me then surely I'm being a great leader!"_

_"Well, what would you have me do, huh? What, so emotion show weakness like how I did before?!" She yelled back._

_"YES!" Shiro screamed louder. "You have no idea how infuriating it is to work with someone trying to act like their somebody else entirely! And the fact you have the audacity-no, the nerve to let someone die for the sake of keeping up your shit show of an act makes me wonder just who you are?"_

_"You used to act so differently, Misato!" Shiro ranted, not noticing as people began to surround them. "You used to inspire people, give hope to the hopeless, helped give us a reason to fight for tomorrow but now that message is gone; instead, all that's left is a hollow shell of a woman who wants nothing more but my father's head, and has shown me that she's willing to sacrifice EVERYTHING just for the sake of winning!"_

_"Is that true...?"_

_"No way..."_

_"She would though, wouldn't she?"_

_"She hasn't exactly proved otherwise..."_

_"And with the last order? Maybe..."_

_"Well, what would you have us do then, Shiro?! Because you know how to lead a people, to have everyone's hopes riding on your shoulders, tell me what you would have us do?!" Katsuragi snarled. "What, just give in? Give up to SEELE and Gendo, is that it?!"_

_"Fuck no, where did you even get that idea from?" Shiro questioned. "Of course, I want to see NERV burn, and I want to see my father pay for what he's done to all of us, to me! But this! Letting others suffer in our place, sacrificing people's lives for the sake of vengeance? This is not the way!"_

_"I want my father to pay, but I will not risk everything for the sake of killing him, because surprise! Surprise! That won't fix shit, Misato!" He continued. "We have to think about this, we can't just give Gendo the satisfaction of death, that's what he wants us to give into! We have to fight him differently, without any of this!"_

_"Oh please, there is no other way!" Ritsuko called out, standing beside Katsuragi. "We can't talk to that monster and SEELE isn't willing to either!"_

_"Yeah!" Someone called from behind. "We can't settle this with ease!"_

_"That's right, he has to die!"_

_"So, you'd kill us all for getting Gendo?!" Another yelled back._

_"This isn't right! We shouldn't be fighting!"_

_"Well, it's happening! So, pick a side!"_

_Katsuragi smugly glared at Shiro, who responded with a darker glare. "It doesn't matter what you want Shiro, I'm going through with this! I'll kill every inch of Gendo Ikari's power, every inch of NERV, SEELE and every god-forbidden creature birthed by that madman's brain!"_

_"And what about Shinji?" He questioned, gaining attention._

_"I think we both know what will happen at that bridge-"_

_"I'm not talking about the fucking clones of my brother, Misato!" He yelled, finally forcing silence upon the arguing crowd. "I meant my brother, Shinji Ikari, the REAL Shinji Ikari! Because you and I both know that he's still inside Unit-01 at NERV!"_

_Katsuragi went silent, looking away for a moment. For the tiniest of seconds, it seemed like he'd gotten to her. If he could just grasp that, just reach that part of her sanity then maybe he could-_

_"I'll kill him." She said flatly, making him freeze._

_"Y-You-I... I-Ngh, w-what?" Shiro whispered out._

_"I said, I'll kill him." She repeated, and as she did more people began agreeing and cheering for her answer. "I've had a lot of time to think about if this ever came up, Shiro. A very long time since Third Impact and I think now I realize why Shinji came back that day."_

_"Don't do this to me..."Shiro begged, his eyes beginning to water as he spoke. "Don't turn this into that Misato, you know it isn't true-"_

_"Isn't it?!" She screamed at him, making him step back slightly as she spoke. "Think about it, Shiro! Shinji wanted nothing, NOTHING to do with NERV after what happened to Asuka in Unit-03. Why on Earth would he just decided to come back to help us after something like that?!"_

_"Because that's who he is, that's why!" Shiro yelled, trying to reason. "You've known my brother longer than even I have, Misato! What in God's name makes you think he would have wanted this?!"_

_"How about getting back at us for all the shit we put him through? How about the times he nearly died in the hospitals and then let us send him back out there to die? How about the fact that he nearly killed his friend under the command of his father? How about all of that?!" She listed._

_"N-No... NO! I don't believe that! The Shinji Ikari I know would never do this to us, never damn us to this hell on Earth!" Shiro yelled, turning to leave._

_"Where are you going? We're not done yet!"_

_"I'm leaving. I won't be a part of this... this insanity any longer!" He snapped, taking his helmet from Mana to leave._

_"You coward. You're weak!" Misato's insult made Shiro freeze in place, and everyone grew silent as she continued. "You won't live with the fact I'm right, so you run away just like that fucking brother of yours! You can't live with the fact you're the brother of humanity's greatest killer, so you deny the possibility of it being true!" She screamed, stomping towards him, back still turned. "Honestly? I can't help but wonder if all of this is because of you."_

_"Stop it." He whispered._

_"After all, Nagisa said things were different and you weren't here before! It only makes sense that you had a hand in all this!"_

_"Stop it...!"_

_"I bet you knew this would happen, so you fought and failed to win just to let Shinji take this victory over us!"_

_"Be quiet!" He growled, gripping his helmet righter as Misato spoke once final time._

_"Why couldn't you have just died in NERV US back then. Why couldn't you have just killed Shinji when you had the chance, huh? Then maybe, just maybe we wouldn't be in this mess!"_

_Shiro snapped. He spun around on his heel, and violently slammed his helmet covered fist into Katsuragi's face. She was sent flying back, and the teen lunged with a scream of, "YOU BITCH! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"_

_Crewmembers rushed forward, trying to pull the two off one another as they screamed and grabbed at one another. Misato kicked and punched whatever she could as Shiro screamed and hit whatever finally had enough._

"_I've had it!" Shiro roared, throwing Katsuragi to the floor as he stood back. He breathed heavily, seething with fury as he tugged the sewed-on UN badge off his jacket. He threw it at Katsuragi, who gasped for air as she watched Shiro glare down at her. "Consider this my resignation from the UN! I should have done this years ago when I saw you change years ago! I QUIT!"_

_With that he marched off, his once closest friend's watching him leave with disappointment and anger._

**_End flashback_**

* * *

"I... I can't believe her..."Shinji said, his heartbeats growing more painful with every breath he took. He trusted her, he believed her nearly all the time he knew Misato and she... she just threw him out like that! After everything, everything he'd done to protect humanity! after what she told him before Zeruel attacked! After what she told him when Unit-01 awoke! Did any of that mean anything to her?! "That... That monster she... she hurt you just to hate me more. Just to make everyone hate me..."

"It's all my fault," Shiro suddenly solemnly, feeling his emotions spike high all at once. "If-If I hadn't said, if I hadn't hurt her as I did then maybe... maybe I could have changed her mind. I could have shown her she was wrong... I-I could have stopped her from starting all this-this war...

He felt hot tears form on his cheeks as his voice cracked slowly. "I'm sorry, Shinji. I'm so sorry that I did all of this to you... that I cursed you by encouraging you to pilot EVA alongside me, encourage the anger and pain in Misato to turn her against you... I-I'm so sorry I... I..."

Shiro struggled to keep it all in, trying his damn near hardest to compose himself before Shinji stood up as well. His brother walked towards him, his own eyes filled with tears before he hugged Shiro. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Shiro." He said, looking at his brother's teary-eyed face as he spoke. "Misato she... she had a choice in the end. When she tried to break you, tried to make you cave in... she made her choice."

Shiro gasped painfully, feeling himself finally break down as he sobbed into his brother's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry Sh-Shinji!" He cried, his tears coming out as he cried and cried for what felt like an eternity. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Shinji simply shook his head, feeling his won tears fall as they hugged one another. "It's fine. Everything's just fine for me now..." He whispered, pained by his guardian's hatred towards him. "I'm here... I'm not going anywhere. Not anymore..."


	14. Chapter 13

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please **__**support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The** **Show!**_

* * *

**Chapter 13: NEVEC Headquarters**

**Black Narwhal, Old California Coastline**

Shinji had his eyes shut quietly in his sleep, but he could still just barely see the flashing red light under his eyelids. That and the blaring alarm sound in his ears signaled for him to wake up. He forced his hand out form his sheets, trying desperately to shut it off.

"Five more minutes, I don't wanna go to school…" He moaned, flipping the alarm off. He fixed his arm back below his pillow, falling back into slumber….

Until it began ringing _again_.

This time Shinji woke up with a louder groan. "Can't a guy just rest like a normal person?!" He cried out, tossing his bedsheets aside. He pulled himself up, slamming his hand onto the 'SNOOZE' button. "Fine, there! I'm awake now."

He ran a hand through his freshly cut hair (which was much short like before his "Super Coma" in comparison to recently), the dreariness fading as he stood, muttering "Window." In an instant the shutters to his far left wall raised, revealing the crimson red sea. "Lights," and like the window, the outline of the room above him came on, creating a simple yet amazing light design to him.

A few minutes later and Shinji was off, dressed and out the door. He passed through a short corridor, humming softly as people passed him and gave small nods or waves. "Hello, Shinji." "Hey, Shinji!" "Shin-man, glad you're up!"

It felt nice honestly, to pass people who treated Shinji like a real person, not some criminal or some clone-replica… thing. He felt like was at home now, not like NERV or WILLE anymore. Suddenly, throughout the corridor a PA speaker came on, _"Excuse me, but will Shinji Ikari please step up to the bridge, immediately! We have cake!"_

"_Hey!"_ Someone yelled.

"_Okay, so we don't have a cake. But we do have is an amazing crew, a badass captain, and the brother of all brothers to end all brothers-!"_

"_Get off the mic, Shiro!"_ Musashi's voice cut in.

"_Never, you fools! Ahaha-Oh shit, button!"_ The mic cut off.

"Oh boy, we must be near the coastline if Shiro's on the mic." Shinji bemused, casually strolling across the now glass flooring where the cafeteria sat under. He crossed the way and entered a small tram, which in a few seconds led right next to the bridge.

The open bridge was buzzing with work and men and women worked around the clock, with Musashi and Shiro standing above on the second platform. "Shinji, glad to see you're up brother!" Shiro called. "You're just in time to see up gear up for California."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Shinji remarked, taking a different approach to the second floor in the form of a flight of stairs. Once he came up, he noted Musashi was now dressed in a US Navy captain attire; a white short-sleeve shirt with the NEVEC logo, a US Captain's insignia, matching white pants and a (Compared to Katsuragi) actual captain's hat.

"Shinji," Musashi noted with a nod. "Nice to see you here. Things are going slow, but we'll be right on the coast very soon."

"Glad to hear. As awesome as the Narwhal is, I am desperate to be on solid ground again." Shinji stated, stretching his arms with a crack of his neck. "God that felt great."

"Hey, glad to see you took on your new combat suit!" Shiro said, looking at his young sibling's armor. "I know it's not an EVA outfit, but until we can repair Unit-13 fully or get some much needed casual clothes on the mainland, this will have to do for now."

"Oh, it's no problem. I like it, it's very nice and new." Shinji had, in the two weeks had been granted luxury in the form of a new outfit. And thank God, because of A.) He smelled like death under the Unit-13 Plugsuit. And B.) He needed it and was even more grateful it wasn't that stupid white shirt and pants look he always had.

No-instead Shinji now wore a Black Tactical Long Sleeve Shirt with matching Special Forces Tactical Combat/Hunting Cargo Pants, covered by metal shin/knee guards. Over his shirt sat a Samurai-styled torso piece, which fully covered his torso and shoulders. It was designed with a high collar and small/long leather scales that went across the frame. Finally, and last but not least, on either forearm sat arm guards; completely metal, going up to the wrists with a scale designed form.

"Well, I'm at least glad to see you like it. It's only a prototype, so try to take it slow for now."

"Sub-Commander Strasberg!" Both Ikari's and Musashi looked downwards at a crewman at the controls. "We're approaching Coastal Point Epsilon, we've received orders to verify for gate system transmissions."

"Perfect! Decrease speed and engine power and begin the transmission feedback." Musashi nodded.

"Transmission feeds?" Shinji inquired.

"Right, I forget your new to all this. Long story short, WILLE and NERV tried a few years back to infiltrate the US border point using cargo ships and civilian transports. We learned the hard way not to think like that ever again when we lost Point Alpha and Delta, so ever NEVEC vehicle is required to have a minimum of 20 different binary sequence transmissions."

"Jesus…."

"As I said, we learned the hard way," Musashi remarked, watching as the large submarine began to gently rise from the sea.

* * *

**US NEVEC Coastal Point Epsilon, Old California Coastline**

The sea was calm and gently for the start of the day, but slowly it parted away as the massive Clandestine-Submarine arose. Slowly the ship rose, and as it did the surface began shifting and opening across the hull. Lights came to life, lining the sub-carriers jet track, anti-air and ground turrets revealed themselves, and the bridge tower of the Narwhal arose from the inside of the ship.

Before the moving vessel stood Point Epsilon, a large base that sat on a concrete wall dug into the ground, with many gun turrets across it, and a large metal doorway in the center. Technician and military troops rushed across the giant gateways as the turrets turned directly towards the Narwhal, ready to fire.

Slowly the submarine pressed on, now on the edge of the doorway. And just as they nearly touched, the gateway gave a loud horn-like alarm noise which signaled the gate to open. The metal wall split apart steadily, revealing a long trench dug out, filled by water which spanned for miles on end.

"Incredible," Shinji whispered in awe, watching as the Black Narwhal crossed in the long half-tunnel. As they did, a glistening city revealed itself in the distance. "What city is that?"

"New Santa Maria, if I'm not mistaken," Shiro said, leaning over the railing as the ship journeyed on. "After the earthquakes in Near-Third Impact, it was rebuilt, and spans all the way out to Old Bakersfield."

"Jesus…." Shinji muttered, watching the line of distant lights glisten as they pressed on through the pathway. "When was all this made?"

"This giant trench was made when the US decided to start construction across the coastline. Sadly, when WILLE decided to use cheap tactics, most of California was left incomplete save for a few cities; Fresno, Stockton, Roseville, San Jose, San Francisco, major cities for the most."

"Katsuragi…," Shinji whispered, clenching his fist. "She'll pay for that, I guarantee it."

"Oh yes, they will. Luckily, most of the construction workers and civilians evacuated up the mainland when the damage was done." Musashi reassured. "And look at us now!"

Shinji nodded, still a bit upset over the obvious yet nevertheless grateful to see humanity was still finding a way. The sub-carrier passed through another gate, finding the end of the large city. Minutes, if not an hour had passed and they finally crossed into Death Valley, and that's when Shinji saw it.

It started off looking like a mountain in the distance0, but as they grew closer Shinji saw the outline form into a sharp point. The sun slowly rose into the sky, and as it did the giant structure took form. "What is that?" he whispered, watching the building take form.

"That, Shinji, is our base of operations. That fabled Area-51, the hidden base built so long ago. The former US NERV 2nd Branch long ago. This, Shinji is NEVEC Headquarters." Shiro said with a smile. "It's been too long…"

NEVEC Headquarters sat on a giant metal plate which spanned for miles, lined by large AA guns and turrets which eyed the long-awaited submarine-carrier. In the center sat a large, light grey pyramid with metal-sheet fins across the top half, topped off by a black pointed top. Outlining the pyramid was a trench design that connected to the center via openings at the pyramid corners, finally outlining an inverted pyramid that extended deep into the Earth's mantle. Slowly the Narwhal moved forward, entering the pyramid to reveal the water pool that was the main floor.

"Oh my god…" Shinji whispered in shock and amazement, watching the Narwhal slow to the giant elevator which seemingly sat above the giant pyramid hole below. "This… This is it?"

"Yes, it is." Shiro grinned as they began to lower down. "Welcome to NEVEC, the Area-51 of Today, and the spearhead of tomorrow."

* * *

**Quarantine Deck, Interrogation Cell-001**

Katsuragi glared at the blue-haired clone in the cell, watching her stare her back down. It had been at least 3 weeks since Fourth Impact was stopped, and not once had the Ayanami Clone spoken to them. She had been silent since then, refusing to talk or move or even sleep, only eating when the time came, and even then she ate small meals.

It drove Katsuragi up the wall to no end seeing her act like this, on the defense like she was onto something! "Just what is going on in your head…?" She murmured, staring Ayanami down as she returned a disdained, almost irritated look of her own. "Let's be honest with ourselves here, that's what I've been here for the truth. You've got the information we need, and I have the power to choose if you live or die."

"…"

"You know we could use someone like you. Fake or not, you'd fit along with most of us misfits here in WILLE. Someone who has seen NERV inside and out, someone who knows the evil that is the Ikari family, someone who doesn't hesitate when needed." She remarked.

"…."

She inhaled sharply as she spoke. "Someone who can get in, do what's necessary, and get out without question. Someone who doesn't let emotions control them."

"…"

"Tsk." Katsuragi scoffed at the silent, finally having enough. She stood up, glaring down at Ayanami. "Fine. Be silent, see how far you get with this little act of yours. But let me remind you Clone, you have nowhere to go. No one is coming to get you, you are stranded here on this ship till we reach London. And even then, who knows what will happen to you."

Ayanami kept silent, pondering if the woman realized she didn't have the microphone on. Nevertheless, her voice was muffled but understandable, and as annoying as it had been the last 3 weeks. But she was stubborn, not giving in to the proposition to question who this woman was or why she was aboard an enemy ship.

The protocol would have made it advisable to have her killed for being on the opposing side, yet that wasn't the case here. No-they wanted alive; for what she didn't know, but if she had to guess it had to do with NERV and Evangelion.

The door in the room suddenly opened, and in stepped Vice-Captain Akagi. "Captain," she nodded to, glaring a second to Ayanami. "Clone," she turned back. "I came to inform you that we got a distress signal from Old Japan, the National Astronomical Observatory."

"I thought we had a military camp set up there?" Katsuragi questioned.

"We did. When the Black Moon was still in the _ground_. Now it's been mostly destroyed, but we received a broken transmission not long ago from there." Akagi explained. "Voice recognition from Archial has identified it as Captain Shikinami, problem is that her signal was bounced here from the Observatory through someplace deeper in NERV territory."

"You think it may be a trap to get us back there?"

"A possibility, but even so we risk losing an EVA pilot."

"Not like she's much use to us anyhow with Unit-02 Dash in ruins."

"Even so, we still have to take in the note in regards to the abandoned Euro-NERV Divisions across the UN territory," Akagi replied.

"You mean the EVA productions bases all disabled and locked down by NERV's systems, all of which are centered in unsanctioned UN dead zones?" Katsuragi remarked. "Yes, truly we have a great arsenal at our side. One we still don't have the damn codes or time to give…."

In the end, Katsuragi knew there nothing good to come out of this. She'd get reprimanded for stepping out of line with the UN, and losing Asuka would not help the situation they were in. So for now, it was best to be safer than sorry. "As soon as you can, send a signal back to the Observatory. If Shikinami can make it in time to the coast, then we'll be one step closer to getting back Ikari."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Then…. We cross that bridge when we get to it." The Captain said, taking her leave. "I'll leave if it to you, Vice-Captain."

"Yes, ma'am." Akagi watcher her friend leave, letting out a sigh of disappointment. Oh, how she yearned to be realistic with Misato. It didn't take a genius to see why she was doing all this; it was to get the UN's favor, which for the most she already had. The Wunder, the Pacific Fleet, hell the A.I and the Evangelion's all solidified Misato's hold on the UN's decisions.

The problem was they didn't truly know what was going on in her head as Ritsuko did.

It made her sick to her stomach to see her friend like this. To see all of them, like this.

* * *

**Command Center, NEVEC headquarters Nevada**

"Man, NERV and WILLE th-they've got nothing on this…" Shinji sputtered with glee, looking over the rail of the command center. The area itself was a giant circular room, about twice the size of Old NERV's command center with screens that displayed all sorts of images and video feeds like the Wunder's bridge. The main command tower was much more fluid and curved in design, with the main station sitting below the Analysis Center, which was embedded into the tower.

The vice command centers sat opposite still of one another on either side of the chamber, with crew running and working to view the ginormous holographic sphere display in the center of the room. The image in the center was a holographic display of Earth, with notions and captions indicated what was where, and who it belonged to.

"This is insane…"

Shiro nodded in confirmation. "No kidding. Honestly, I don't recall this being here."

"It was built around 2025, so no-neither of you were here at the time." Kaji pointed out, leaning over the side with a soft nod. "Yep, it sure is something. And to think NERV would have had this had it not been for Rokubungi's taste in stoic, dark design."

"Yeah, whenever you were on the bridge you always had this sense of dread in the air, like life or death was on the line." Shiro bemused, studying some of the display notes on the holographic sphere. "But here, at least you have a feeling like you're doing right, not like some toy at the ready."

"Yeah, you're right about the change in design and tone," Shinji said, looking around a bit. "Where's Mana and Musashi?"

"Musashi's down in Level 2 with the Narwhal and Mana is around here somewhere," Kaji explained, looking around to find the young pilot. As he did, a figure walked into the command center and froze at the sight of….

"Shinji?" Said teenager turned to see a somewhat older man, probably in his early 20's with dirty light brown hair and dark eyes. Yet what caught his attention the most was the jacket he wore. It was a Japanese-styled jock jacket; dark blue with white lines across the chest.

_Is that…? No, it-it couldn't be… is it?_ Shinji tensed in surprise, feeling his chest begin to burn up as a gasp tore through his throat. "T-To-Toji?" he sputtered, feel his body begin to shake.

The man walked forward, his own eyes wide with shock at the frame of Shinji Ikari himself, standing right before him. "Shinji? Is… Is that you?" He asked, moving his hand up to his shoulder. When he felt the rough leathery design brush his fingertips, he realized it was true; this was real. "Sh-Shinji, it's you!"

"Touji!" Shinji cried out, pulling his friend into a headlock. The pair laughed at their reunion, taking in one another which their joy and shock. "Oh my God. What happened to you?"

"What happened to you, man?!" Touji questioned, looking at Shinji up and down. "A-After Unit-01 went psycho against the Tenth Angel, I thought that- that's a nice look for you." He pointed out suddenly.

"What? Oh, this?" Shinji gestured to his outfit.

"Yeah, man. You look like a ninja straight out of a movie!"

"Ha-ha, very funny." Shinji sarcastically remarked, giving Touji a small glare. "At least I still look decent, and not-"

"Tough? Handsome? Towering?" Touji filled in the words quickly with a smile.

"Old." Shinji clarified.

"Old?! Why you little-!" Shinji half near choked at the ego-injured face Touji now had on him. Shiro had to stifle his own as the pair began to go off on one another, throwing all sorts of remarks and insults with laughter. It made him smile, seeing his brother act more like himself; not like the solider-cyborg NERV wanted, no- like the teenager he should have been. Happy, and smiling…

As they laughed and joked, a familiar voice called out to Shinji and Shiro. "Hey, you two!" They looked to see Mana rush up from across the catwalk to them. Unlike before though, when she wore her blue TRIDENT piloting suit, Mana now wore a simple white dress with jeans and black shoes. "Sorry I'm late, Musashi wanted me to move Trident on solid ground for repairs."

"Oh, it's fine. No harm was done!" Kaji exclaimed. "Besides, we haven't gotten to the best parts of our tour yet."

"The best part?" Shinji turned around at that, looking still curious and gleeful at what they had to show next. Kaji shrugged a bit, shaking his hand a bit. "I thought, you know" he threw his arms out to the room. "All of THIS! Was the best part."

"Well, I wouldn't call it the best part," he clarified. "More or less the interesting part of it. You see when we get to Construction."

"Right."

"Oh! By the way, Shinji you forgot this." Mana said, holding up and object. It was a metallic Samurai-styled helmet, dark grey like his armor pieces with sharp blades that went across the sides to cover the eye gap the face mask made. Shinji took it up, looking the helmet over for a moment as Mana spoke. "Like it? Musashi said that it works similar to Shiro's biker helmet; it provides a heads up display, and real-time communication to help you in combat and training."

"I like it," Shinji said with a smile, putting it on. "How do I look?"

"Like a ninja," all four of them replied.

"Yes!" Shinji remarked, taking it off. "Anyways, what's this secret surprise you have for us, huh?"

* * *

**Construction Level 4, NEVEC Headquarters**

The doors before the elevator opened, and Shinji's eyes slowly began to peel open wider and wider. The Construction Level itself was like the others; a giant construction center that outlined the center opening like the top floors, though this one was different.

Factory stations were lined by construction rigs and mechanized stations which ran vehicles, weapons, and all sorts of technology to the edge line, where large and small transports awaited their future shipments.

Needless to say, Shinji was beyond impressed. In his eyes, it was incredible! The fact they were able to manufacture and construct all sorts of weapons and technology all day long, every day may be compared to WILLE and NERV made it seem as if they had a big advantage over both parties. "Incredible…." The Ex-Third Child stated, looking around at the giant stations. "I saw something like this in NERV HQ, only it was more or less a lot of weapons rather than actual transports and vehicles."

"Yeah, we had to escalate to this level due to the increase in WILLE and NERV groups. WILLE is run by the UN, but NERV, on the other hand, gets its resources from SEELE and the few mercenary groups willing to join Rokubungi's cause." Kaji explained. "While most of our weapons stay here for prototype testing, a lot of our smaller experiments and completed systems run out all across the US and Coast Guard stations."

"The world's biggest military station _and _the biggest factory on Earth," Mana bemused. "Something out of this world."

"Yes, yes this is very amazing." Shiro groaned, shaking his figure with a look of disdain. "Can we please see what this surprise of yours is, Kaji?"

"But, Shiro," Kaji said with a grin, gesturing to the room. "This IS a surprise!"

"_Laaaaaaaaaaame_."

"Oh, you know I'm kidding." The investigator remarked, pointing to the far wall across from them; a large white door outlines in red and black stripes with yellow holographic display signs. "THAT is the REAL surprise."

"Well, what is it?"

"It," Shiro and Shinji turned to see a new figure, in a white lab coat with round glasses, light brown hair, matching eyes, and a voice very familiar to the pair. "Is hopefully the light we need against NERV and WILLE once and for all."

"Kensuke?" Shinji questioned, pointing an accusing finger to the man who grinned.

"Well, that depends. What day is today?"

"Monday."

"Then yeah, definitely Kensuke!" the man voiced with a nod. "It's good to see you, Shinji!"

"Kensuke, always the mad scientist I knew you'd be," Shinji said with a chuckle, pulling the man into a slight hug of sorts. "It's great to see you and Touji. After I woke up and well… let's just I had some wrong things said to me at the time."

"I can tell, considering you kind of just blew up Japan a week or so ago." He recalled.

"Oh yeah, your Kensuke. No other human on this planet would bring up my failures and successes so easily." Shinji deadpanned with a sigh. "So tell me, of the great madman of NEVEC, what's behind door number 1?"

"I'm glad you asked," Kensuke replied, walking up and placing his hand over a small keypad. The pay shot out a small needle that took blood, easily identifying him as Kensuke before the alarms began blaring. He turned to face them. "Ladies, Gentleman... Touji."

"Hey!"

"May I first off start by saying this what is seen here must remain in here. No one outside headquarters can now of this, understand?" Kensuke's grim look and tone earned several nods from everyone, mostly from Shiro and Shinji who were confused. What was this all about? "Alright then."

Kensuke turned, walking up to the door as a metallic paid rose to form the ground. Placing his hand on it, the NEVEC scientist winced as a sharp needle poked his palm, drawing blood and verifying his ID. Steadily, the alarms blared and the metal doors began creaking open gracefully. But through that grace, Shinji saw it. The light faded as the doors sat open, and Shinji basked in the shock, awe, and fear he now had built up inside.

"Oh my God…." Standing before him, locking on the world's biggest surgical table, was the same Evangelion he witnessed the 12th Angel unleash itself from. The Evangelion which acted once as SEELE's tool, and the savior of humanity to a certain extent. Evangelion Mark.06.

"But-It can't be!" Shiro whispered the joy and fun in his voice gone with the wind and replaced with mortified shock. "The Mark.06. But… That's-"

"Impossible?" Kensuke finished, walking up to the guard rail at the edge of the platform the room had. "No. Not really."

"W-What is this?" Shinji questioned sharply with a glare. "Is this a joke, because it's certainly not funny, Ken!"

"It's no joke, Shinji. This is, in fact, the real EVA Mark.06."

But that impossible!" he snapped, making his friend flinch at his voice.

"Shinji's right; the Mark.06 was destroyed when the 12th Angel revealed itself and entered Unit-13 to start Fourth Impact." Shiro started, looking up and down the EVA with a glare. "So what the hell is this?"

Kensuke's surprised look caught the older Ikari off guard. "So what we assumed as correct," he murmured, the confused stared getting him to continue. "It was around 2025 when we performed small skirmishes and tech heists on WILLE. The raid on WILLE's New-Bethany Station in the Antarctic was our first ever large operation since…"

He trailed, and the gazes of the others fell downwards. Even Shiro glared downwards, which that alone made Shinji shiver in dread. "….Ngh, best not spoken." He growled, closing his fist firmly. "Anyhow, continue Kensuke."

"Right, right…" the scientist nodded. "Anyways, we discovered that WILLE was in the process of digging through a bulkhead, nullification-Enhanced defense grid. By the time they'd gotten through, they had to leave just to stay away from us. The defense grid revealed a hidden IPEA Containment Facility, deep below sea level."

"We assumed that WILLE either didn't know of it at the time, or they did and were planning to build another EVA to turn the favor, but when we got into the facility we found this," He gestured to the Evangelion. "The Mark.06, disabled; abandoned, I'd say. Not a single damn thing was touched save for a computer logged out of in 2018; with a direct command never reactivate Evangelion, protocoled by former SEELE Chairman Lorenz Keel."

"And you found this? This Evangelion, the EVA which- mind you, decimated half of all life in Japan and turned it into a wasteland- was in there?" Shiro questioned. "As in, let along in there. Am I-Am I hearing this right?"

"You are, yes." Kensuke nodded, continuing. "It took 2 months before we finally had it brought back here, having done through all sorts of defenses just to get it out the dry-dock. And here it's been; silent, unused, collecting dust whilst we've been scouting; rearming, coming back into the fight."

"But, wait that would mean that the Mark.06 I encountered in Terminal Dogma at NERV HQ was a… it was a fake?" Shinji asked, unsure of his question.

"Yes, and it proves to us that SEELE and Gendo had separate goals when it came to Instrumentality. At some point they discovered Gendo's real end target, so they put the Mark.06 in lockdown and sent Nagisa in with a fake, unbeknownst to Nagisa himself. The first-ever Mass-Produced Evangelion we know of, and they used it for an Angel body.

"Well, it sure as hell did its job," Touji grumbled. "Drove us all out, turned us against one another and let NERV build that Death Machine and 13."

"Jesus Christ…" Shinji moaned, putting a hand to his head. He stumbled a bit back, barely grabbing the railing as he breathed heavily. "So much… so much violence and destruction, lying and backstabbing just for the sake of controlling our future…"

"And to think we had enough with the Angels, back then," Shiro said, now feeling his headache form. "I never once thought humanity would be our enemy once more, and the irony of it is killing me on the inside…"

"Yeah, and that's not even the biggest surprise yet," Kensuke said, looking away as the brother turned to him.

"Are you serious?!" Shinji cried out.

"Now what?!" Shiro growled. "What else is there left? Flying dogs? Mantis Men? Cats and Dogs living together?!"

"Jeez, relax! It's nothing _too_ hectic. But you'll both definitely want to see this." Kensuke pressed a switch on the railing, and the surgical table that held the Mark.06 moved to the side, revealing another on in the dark. Slowly the table was brought forward, and as it was the sound of machines working caught all ears.

Shinji leaned back up, watching the table come to a halt as the lighting came on across it. "What in the-Oh. My. Fucking. God." Shinji found himself, shock and all like his brother, standing on a before a sleeping giant. Sleeping, silent and _very_ familiar to him. "Is… Is that what I think it is?"

"May I introduce to you; a machine 15 years in the making." Kensuke started. "Straight from the old remnants of a past unknown to us, from the heart of the old NERV Headquarters, stolen from WILLE Germany years ago and retrofit over the years to be the strongest Evangelion on Earth. May I introduce to you: NEVEC newest weapon…

Evangelion Unit-01, codenamed: Alcion-01."

* * *

A/N: What's up guys, KnightOfZ3R0 here! I wanted to take this time to apologize for the prolonged chapter release. I've had a lot of recent projects come up in the past few's weeks and little time to work in and out of school on the story. I only got lucky with Cease To EXist as I had that chapter mostly finished and done. But anyhow, I want to say that yes I do have a plan for this story. Will it take time? yes. But I assure you I will finish this story as promised. All I ask is to be patient and understanding.

Anyways, that's all from me folks. This is the KnightOfZ3R0, signing off!


	15. Chapter 14

_**A/N:**__**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

**Chapter 14: Plan Of Attack**

**Osaka outskirts, Old Japan**

Red. A permanent reminder of humanity's past mistakes.

Red. A memory that flowed through the land and seas of Old Japan.

Red. The vivid color of her hair, as always described by Shinji.

Red. The color of Death.

Of Anger.

Of Agony.

Of Sorrow.

Of Regret.

In the weeks she'd been here, Asuka had traveled from her Entry Plug in Tokyo-03 to the fallen, desolated Astronomical Observatory in Old Mitaka (Old Tokyo-01) to Old Yokohama. And in that time, Asuka hadn't gotten a lick of sleep. She couldn't-no, she _refused_ to. With what had happened in the passing weeks, she couldn't find it in her to sleep. She couldn't even lie to herself about it being Unit-02D's destruction.

No-Tt was her stubbornness, her burning compassion to live on and fight another day. And yet…

It wasn't even that. It wasn't her compassion to live.

It wasn't her strength to move forward, it wasn't her fighting spirit. No. It was all apathy now; her drive to live and fight was finally starting to dry out. And to think after everything she'd gone through, Asuka Shikinami wouldn't die to the end of a barrel, or even in Evangelion. She'd die here- stuck in some Godforsaken wasteland.

And honestly? She didn't even care for it. The great Asuka Langley Shikinami ready to die a forgotten memory with the rest of Old Japan, all because of one belief:

She deserved it.

She deserved to starve out here. She deserved to gasp as the poisonous air of her former home. She deserved to feel tired, to feel hopeless, to feel defeated, humiliated, weak, broken.

Because _he_ felt like that once.

He felt like dying too.

She left the one man who understood her and let him fall into despair.

Thought even as she believed she deserved a coward's death, Asuka did ponder what happened in Central Dogma. In that single damning moment, where she could have changed everything. She couldn't help it, her brain wrack more and more with possibilities of what could have happened.

What she could have done? What could she have said to him, to stop him from using that damn EVA?

Would he have listened? Would he have even _cared?_

_Don't listen to Kaworu, it's a trap!_

No….

_Stop, Shinji! It's not what you think!_

Not even that….

_Don't to it! Please!_

She didn't even have the will to beg him at the moment, to ask if he realized what would happen.

In the end, she asked for him to die.

In the end, she screamed for him to die.

In the end, she wanted him to die.

It was that rage which, sadly, kept her sane her after all these years.

After Third Impact stole their lives.

After SEELE was revealed to be behind it all.

After Gendo had revealed Armaros, the most powerful EVA on Earth.

After Akabe, that coward who craved vengeance turned himself into a mirror model of Shinji, tortured her… touched her….. Tired to take he-

_No! Stop it!_ Asuka snapped, coming to a halt now. _That's all in the past, over and done with! I'm over that shit! I forced myself to be after Shiro left. I-I… I __**need**__ to be over it…. I need to press on, I have to-_

A loud rustling noise caught Asuka's attention, and the ground shook at her feet. It stopped, but she had a feeling about what it was. In an instant, Asuka ran forward into close debris, running in and out of the fallen building.

She jumped over whatever was in her way, feeling the small tremors grow stronger. She stumbled as the flooring caved in, catching herself in the nick of time before falling in. The redhead grunted when she dropped into the new room, colored by distant light as she held back a gasp.

In the room sat soldiers, men and women alike. All of them tossed around or just layed on the floor, cuts, and bullets across their frames. She held back her shock, mortified somewhat to see these people dead. But that wasn't what made her worry.

These uniforms weren't dried up at all, nor were the bloodstains of the wounds. They were fresh, and this group was more than likely not here beforehand. But what could have killed them?

It couldn't have been the cave-in, there was no concrete or stone touching them. So what was it? Mercenaries? Ayanami Clones, if there were more? Animals? What was it?

The building shook, and as it did a static noise caught her ear. "Where is…?" She looked over the corpses of her comrades (or enemies), spotting a radio on the arm of one. "Aha!" She quickly yanked it off, fumbling with the frequency till she could make out a voice. "Hello? Is anyone there, over?"

"_...epeat! Zulu Squad this is Echo-418, requesting coordinates for immediate extraction, over," _it ordered. Asuka's heart lit up with joy for the time. Finally, rescue at last!

"This is Captain Shikinami of the AAA Wunder, identify yourself!" She barked.

"_Say again? Did you say Captain Shikinami, Over?"_

"You got wax in your ears. Yes, it's fucking me!" She snapped. "I'm in a collapsed building hiding out."

"_Captain, thank God you made it."_ 418 remarked with relief. _"We've been sweeping the area for you for a while. Locking onto your frequency. Is Zulu Squad with you, over?"_

"Negative, their right here but… they didn't make it."

"_Damn."_ the responder sighed. _"Alright, sit tight Captain. I've got your frequency, and on my way!"_

"Just get here as soon as you can." More rumbling grew, and quickly Asuka flew through the crumbling room through a close opening. She climbed up a revealed flight of stairs, finding herself in an old observation station, filled with broken glass and old, rusted communications machinery standing by.

Another tremor came and went, and now Asuka could see where it originated from. She growled in frustration, watching the dull grey and black colored humanoids toss and storm on debris across in the open area. Their armor made it clear what they were and worked for; 2 NERV Mass-Production Models, Mark.06 Frames to be precise. What were they looking for?

Another MP EVA tossed up a wrecked destroyer, kicking off the engine half with a low gurgling tone. The other gave a chirr of acknowledgment, raising its arm as it for help. In response, 2 familiar EVAs that came from behind her field of vision appeared, both making her freeze.

Towart-01 and Towart-02 were given space, pulling into the ground and tossing all sorts of rubble away to nab their prize. After a few minutes or so, the Towart-01 grabbed... something and tugged it out of the rubble. Asuka felt the ground shake stronger than before, and in turn, she felt her heart jump to her throat. It was an arm- a familiar black-coated arm, which hung loosely in Toward-01's hand.

Slowly and, close to easily even the MP-EVAs and Towart-02 worked to pull out a large robotic frame. The air became very, _very_ cold in the slip second, a feeling which practically could have drowned the redhead. "Oh, that's not good…." She whimpered, watching as the EVA Twins looked over the frame. "That's not good at all."

Suddenly another shaking began, this once stronger than the others, and _louder._ It came as a loud humming noise, which was quickly subdued by the sound of loud thunder. "What the hell?!" She cried out, feeling the building start to shake at the tremor. She couldn't stay here anymore, it was collapsing! So she did the only thing Asuka could in a situation- she gunned it towards the glass, breaking through it and just barely catching onto the closet building.

The WILLE captain grunted as he pulled herself into the building complex, able to see the Towart Twins pulling a large body out of the rubble from across the room. She sprinted forward, seeing them carry it forward like a wounded soldier, towards... "What in the…?!" Asuka blinked, realizing that she was staring at a large platform that connected to… The sky?

It was, and she didn't even realize it the thundering clouds till now. She could hear the thundering noise, and felt her body shake when she saw the lighting above flash to reveal what was above her; the skeleton of what was above her.

Slowly the Towart Twins and MP Eva's marched onto the metal platform, wires dangled on the corners as they stopped. And with loud churning groan, the elevator began to rise up. It rose and rose until it was high enough to fade into the clouds and out of sith. Asuka felt tension all across her body when she heard a disturbing, and frighteningly familiar groan of the airship she called home.

And yet it wasn't. This thing above her, it was NOT her home.

Her attention, however, was taken away by the sound of engines coming towards her. She jumped into the darker corners, praying it wasn't something of NERV control or worse. But to her luck, it wasn't dead at the door. It was a stealth VTOL, fast in speed roared through the cloud and towards her.

"Hey! HEY!" She screamed out, rushing out the room into the open with waving arms. The VTOL hover before, the back door sliding open to reveal a person in piloting gear.

"Captain Shikinami?!" He yelled. "Welcome back to the land of the living!"

"Won't be for long, with that thing in the air!" She called, gesturing to the thunderous clouds before running into the VTOL. "Get me to the Wunder as fast as you can!"

"Aye aye, ma'am!" The pilot replied, rushing back to the cockpit. The VTOL gunship spun around, roaring into the opposite direction as the thunder above triumphantly roared. Asuka felt her heart clench; the "thunder" sounded all too familiar. She only prayed it wasn't what the thought it to be.

* * *

**NEVEC Headquarters, 2 days later**

_**BANG!**_

Another EVA model fell, the bloodied mess falling in a puddle of blood as another model more bulkier with a large cleaver-type blade, took its place. "The last one," He breathed, pulling the controls back. The machine whirled in response, raising the modified Pallet Rifle to fire at the model rushed forward. He tsked, dodging to the side instead while the opposer swung and revealed its weakness. "A vent system on the back? And exposed, no less? This is either my luckiest day, or people just don't build EVA's the same."

He flipped the Rifle's Baretta blade out before he was forced to duck again, settling instead with the head of the EVA. It whined at the facial injury, trying to grasp as his EVA forced the taller model to its knee. He didn't even wait, he pulled out the rifle and started grasping and pulling whatever wires and pieces he thought were important, and pulled them out.

The smoke eventually poured out the EVA's head as it gave a final cry, falling to its knees and collapsing in a puddle of dead robot. "Well, that was fun." He said. "Should we continue?"

"_If you want to, I can raise the difficulty!"_ his operator remarked cheerfully. _"Who knows? I'd love to see what you can do on European Extreme Mode._

"I'd rather keep my head cool for now. Don't need another "I'm going to wreck HQ" all over again." he joked, turning the EVA towards the close walling. The room lit up, revealing it to be a large chamber with glass walls and a single large door beside him. His EVA turned, walking to the opening and out onto the deck.

"_Well, who knows? Maybe one day, you'll have to fight to that degree."_ the operator said, before going silent for a moment. _"Seriously? Shit… Alright, come on out! Musashi's asking for us to head upstairs."_

"On my way." He replied, letting the screens shut down in the Entry Plug. Once it was solid black, a single text line read **"SIMULATION-012 ENDED, SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 71%"** and the hatch opened. He pulled himself out, swimming into more orange liquid.

The chamber itself wasn't much-It was a bit similar to NERV's EVA Synch Test area, though wider with Entry Plugs lining the walls, and an observation platform built above the area. He exhaled LCL as he came up, shivering somewhat as his friend helped him. "So how'd I do?" he asked.

"20 minutes, 12 seconds and 5 EVA's more than the last. I think your setting some records here," Kensuke said, impressed as he looked over the scoring. "But then again you've been in a comatose for 15 years, so that's so surprise."

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up," Shinji said, fixing his collar. "Gotta say, I'm liking this Plugsuit model a bit more than the other one."

"I agree." Kensuke nodded. "It looks better than your edgy, black emo cosplay suit."

Shinji's new Plugsuit was a complete stretch from the original models; more or less a fusion of Unit-13's Plugsuit and NEVEC's prototype stealth armor. The Plugsuit was solid black with blue armor panels on the left forearm, shoulders, and knuckles. His opposite arm, however, was exposed to reveal his long sleeve undershirt and the black glove WILLE put on him, covered by the sleeve to hide the previous tears.

The high collar was the same, blending into the now flattened chest piece that displayed the NEVEC logo. Finally, around his torso was a ribcage-like design, white to match the fading leg armor and metal boots. "Though I have to admit, at least Unit-13 looked like something for EVA and not a video game." Kensuke snickered.

"Oh cry me a river, I'll live," Shinji remarked, fixing a small case onto his side and running a hand through his now cut hair. He'd finally decided to cut it back to its original short length, more or less to further himself after what transpired at Neo-NERV. The scientist rolled his eyes and the two left the chamber into an elevator. It rocketed upwards, out the lower levels of NEVEC toward the pyramid top. "Glad to see we're making progress on EVA training."

"No kidding man, you've clearly still got it. Though I wonder if it has to do with you piloting Unit-13 during… you know.." Shinji nodded softly.

"Yeah I know, but I think it was more the EVA itself than me. I don't know, it's like it had a mind of its own. Like it was protecting me…"

"Like it was Shiro piloting with you." Kensuke pondered. He went quiet in thought before asking, "You don't think there's a connection do you?"

"Honestly? It more than likely is- Shiro was the only other person in Unit-13's Entry Plug save for me and Nagisa before he…" Shinji looked away a bit, shaking it off before continuing. "It only makes sense that he would have been inside Unit-13's core, using the EVA itself to try and protect me."

"And he did. To think he could turn Fourth Impact on its head and end it at the peak of uncertainty." Kensuke said, walking forward as the elevator finally opened to the observation deck. "Guess proving the impossible runs in your family huh?"

"Either that, or we've been really fucking lucky…"

* * *

**Observation Deck, NEVEC Headquarters**

The observation deck sat at the top of NEVEC Headquarters, the only place where one could overlook all of Nevada and the distant coastline thanks to the high-powered telescope systems. It was entirely made of glass, reinforced along the sides by steel bars. In the center of the deck sat a large holographic table connected to large consoles and chairs around.

At the console stood Shiro beside Musashi, who sat at one console gesturing to the recent news. "There's no doubt about it; NERV's made a new move."

"Yeah, and by the looks of it the UN isn't having any of it." Shiro mused with a distant look before the sound of footsteps caused his attention. He smiled though when he turned to see Shinji and Kensuke enter. "Shinji! Glad to see you and Ken are here."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. What's going on?" Shinji asked.

"Well after a lot of talk with the guys upstairs, the government has decided it's time we get back fully into the fight. And now with you and Shiro alongside us, we've got a greater chance." Kaji's voice caught his attention, the man away from the window back to the center. "We've been in wait for too long, and Misato's done some pretty shady stuff since."

There have been small snippets of worry and confusion within Interpol and official UN channels, questioning WILLE's leadership. Ever since Shiro left with us to form NEVEC, and the recent events regarding Fourth Impact, the majority of the UN is in question about how stable Misato is."

"Yep. Then again, anyone who leaves their friends to die is typically questioned about their mental stability," Shiro bemused sarcastically, getting a frown from Kaji. "OK, fine! I was out of line on that one, but it's the truth. Misato shouldn't be in charge, but here we are in 2030 and she's _still_ in charge!"

"Either way, we need to make a move and right now seems like the best chance we've got. We've received some new information from our operatives in Europe." Musashi echoed, gesturing to the console screens. On them displayed all sorts of news and information in regards to WILLE's Wunder.

"Operatives?"

"Small stealth groups working in Europe, mostly scouting parties that report to us if anything big happens. And right now the only thing happening in the world, aside from the returning Szechuan Sauce at McDonald's, is that Wunder had changed course to Old France."

"Well aside from Szechuan Sauce returning, which I will have to try sooner or later…" Shinji mumbled, walking up to them. "What's wrong with Wunder heading to France?"

"Well aside from the fact France was abandoned 10 years ago during the Battle of Tours in Touraine, Paris used to serve as a NERV outpost. It was run by NERV Germany, and used as a storage facility for EVA parts and weapons." Kensuke replied. "It was at the battle that NERV revealed Section 31, a militia of mercenaries, killers, thieves- a lot of bad people. Each one geared to protecting NERV and decimating WILLE."

"A bunch of sadists, those fuckers. And to think they would've fallen apart by now..." Shiro snarled, shaking his head. "Well, to explain our curiosity; our stealth operative has reason to believe NERV's concocted some sort of newfound weapon."

"A new weapon? Wait, Gendo's _alive?_" Shinji gasped. "But… how?"

"We've don't know, we can't even confirm if he and Fuytsuki are dead thanks to the Black Moon rising. But it's either him or an automated system working: either way its trouble for everyone."

"Well, what this supposed weapon?"

"We're not entirely sure, its presumed an aircraft of sorts, but Wunder is keeping silent in regards to it. But whatever it is has Katsuragi running, and if she's willing to risk losing Wunder to Section-31, then we need to be worried too."

"Yes, the whole point of Section-31 was to create a militia to not only stall for Armaros' construct but to command Wunder if it was recaptured by NERV," Kaji said. "If they get their hands on it, then we'll be in REALLY deep shit."

"So what's the plan?" Shinji asked.

"Well, according to our scouts Wunder was _supposed_ to be en route for a refueling run at Neo-London in the UN. But since they shifted course to France, they'll have to work bingo fuel, they'll be running frantically to get what they want, keep the ship defended, then get out of dodge. Which could give us the perfect chance to disable the ship, gather whatever intel we can, and establish a link with Unit-01."

"Unit-01?" Now that caught Shinji's attention and confusion. "But I thought Unit-01 was connected to the main reactor, it's what keeps the ship powered?"

"It is, but if we can establish a link to Unit-01 and back to NEVEC, we'll have a full back door opening to WILLE and the UN. Projects, military posts, battle plans, all of it! We just need to link with Unit-01." Musashi explained, typing away at the screen. "We've been trying to run through the old NERV data network to establish a link, using all sorts of back doors and system commands but we haven't gotten much except," He then flipped a switch on the side. "For this sound."

When it played, Shinji narrowed his eyes. The sound was submerged, but he could distinctly make out the sound of screaming, growling, and… something else. The sound of bubbling overlapped the last part but it sounded familiar to him. "What is that?" Shinji asked. "You say it's coming from Unit-01, right?"

"Yes. We assumed at first this was the reactor itself, but if you play that same audio through several filters you can hear what sounds like a woman's voice." Musashi clicked a few more buttons, replaying the noise. It was smoother to hear, and as the end came Shinji could definitely hear it now.

_Whoever it is, they sound like their in complete agony,_ He thought silently. And indeed it did; the audio gave a chilling screaming noise as it played, which on its own brought back painful memories of his encounter with Ramiel, the 6th Angel. _But the question is __**who**__? Who in their right mind would be inside the reactor, in Unit-01 no less? Is it a repairman? A worker, a technician-hell, could it even be Akagi, trying to work her way through EVA's system? Anything is possible…._

"Either way, the point still stands. Unit-01 is aboard Wunder, and when they get to Old France they'll have to defend it with all their lives," Shiro pointed out. "We could have a chance at swiping their data in the fighting, as long as no one sees us."

Musashi gave him a skeptical look "None of us know the layout of Wunder, and even if we did we don't know how to get Unit-01 out the reactor," he stated.

"Well, not all of us…." Shinji mumbled, biting his lip when he felt everyone's gaze fall onto him. He looked back at them. "I.. I may not know a lot about the ship's interior, but I know where the reactor is being stored: in the ribcage of the ship. I could help guide you in."

"Are you sure about this, Shinji?" Shiro asked worryingly. "You do realize what this means, going back there. There's no doubt we'd have a run-in with someone we know, even…"

"Yeah, I know…" Shinji nodded unhappily. "It could mean we run into _**her**_. But…. I have to do this, Shiro. Sooner or later, I have to face Katsuragi, in battle or to heart. And not just her… But Asuka, and Mari, and everyone else whose lives became miserable after Third Impact."

"Shinji…."

"I have to go. It's my _duty_ to back, to try and at least start to fix all the wrongs I did. I wasn't there for you when I had to be…. I wasn't there Misato when she fell apart, nor Asuka when she lost everything…. Hell, I wasn't even there for _Dad_ when he lost Mom…"

"Please, bro… I need to do this. I'd got nothing to lose anymore… I watched the closest things I had to an idol and a lover both die beside me… I can't lose this chance."

Shiro fell silent, in shock, bewilderment, and fear. He always assumed that it was Shinji who was the greatest victim of them all-hell, he still was. But he never questioned if Shinji held any sort of regret about what happened to him, or even Gendo for that matter. _You carried that pain all this time, all that misery and suffering, and you never told me… _He thought, saddened and somewhat proud of his younger brother. _Oh, Shinji… You really are stronger thank you think…_

Finally, and reluctantly, he gave out a sigh. "Promise me then." He said sternly, gaining his brother's worry. "If you do have to confront Misato… If you really are sure about going through with this ... Then promise me we'll do it together."

Shinji chuckled in response. "Always."

"We could get captured."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"We could die," Shio added with a smirk.

"Then we'll do _that_ together too." Shinji finished with his own smile.

Shiro gave an unsurprised look. "Is it wrong I had a feeling you'd say that?" He shrugged, which more than enough to answer. Shiro turned towards Musashi with a nod. "Well, there you have it. Get Mana, and Suzhuhara and then find us some goddamn pilots to fly with, Sub-Commander."

"Yessir!" Musashi nodded.

"In the meantime, you come with me Shinji. If we're going into Wunder, your gonna need a weapon or at least something to protect yourself with." He said, gesturing to the elevator. "Let's move!"

"You got it, man..."

* * *

**Conference Room 000, WILLE AAA Wunder**

Wunder was silent as flew across the UN land, the desolate and forgotten areas leaving a sense of dread for the crew. As if they weren't on edge as it with this weapon… this airship NERV now had. There was at first a lot of speculation in regards to this as Asuka had been dehydrated, exhausted, and on the verge of unconsciousness when she arrived.

But after a while, and a check of the flight box recording, it was clear the woman's hysteria was true to heart- NERV had a new weapon, and now it had Armaros as if it wasn't hard enough now.

"_...you do realize what this will mean if word gets out, Katsuragi?" _The man asked, to which the Captain did not reply._ "Katsuragi!"_

She blinked, snapped out of thought at the Chairman's voice. "Yes, sir?"

"_Good to see your still there."_ He joked sarcastically. _"I feared we lost you to boredom."_

"I assure you, sir, I am listening."

He nodded. _"Good. As we were saying, the UN is unquestionably troubled by this news."_

"I don't see why you should be, Chairman," Katsuragi stated. "This should be no surprise that NERV has another weapon aside from Armaros and the lost Unit-13."

"_You know exactly why, Captain." _The Neo-Spain Councilman spoke up, with a firm and clearly pissed note. _"We've had speculation in regards to NERV's arsenal since Fourth Impact revealed their Evangelion units, but another airship? Is an airship as powerful as Wunder, mind you? I find it hard to believe."_

"With all due respect, sir, I have guaranteed this is true. We have two eyewitnesses to further prove this, not to mention the flight box ox VTOL-418." She explained. "What more proof do we-?"

"_The report hear says Captain Shikinami saw "a platform rise into a hurricane of thunder and lightning." That isn't exactly what we expect to hear from a highly respected military operative, Captain." _The Neo-German Councilman stated, rereading the report on his desk. _"Frankly, we could call you out on a lie if it wasn't for the fact your flight box confirmed several signs of A.T Field energy."_

"_And since NEVEC hasn't made any action to reveal itself, it only makes sense that this would be NERV's doing. But what I think we should be worried about is just what they found," _Neo-Italy's Councilman started. _"If NERV had uncovered something that could turn this war to their favor, then it could lead to disastrous consequences on our end."_

"_Well, most of us…" _The silent tone of France caught everyone's notice. It was honestly a surprise to Katsuragi to see the French Councilman still here, considering he no longer had a country to speak for. But then again, the reason he didn't have one fell to her, as did most of the problems that happened in the UN did.

At least the ones involving NERV did, the other problems were sorted and dealt with by the UN Council. _"We can all agree that WILLE has had some ... questionable actions in regard to handling NERV and SEELE. But when it comes to firepower, Wunder has been a symbol of the UN's unrelenting strength." _The Chairman stated, fixing his arms across his desk. _"If we were to lose that symbol, the public would lose its faith in us and our military, something we cannot allow the US to hold over us in this dark time. That said, it only seems natural that if we are to confront this new weapon that we'll need more than Wunder and one Evangelion."_

"_I vote for an attack on Old France, the Wunder will invade and retake the NERV outpost there, and establish a beachhead for our forces against Section-31."_ The Chairman declared. _"All in favor, speak now."_

One by one the speaker of the UN countries spoke-Germany, Italy, Spain, Iceland, Finland, Greece, Indonesia, New Zealand, Portugal, Philippines, North and South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Venezuela, even Old France.

Those who didn't speak weren't on the UN Council: Russia, China, India, Japan (for obvious reasons), and the United States.

"_18 out of 21, the vote is passed then. Katsuragi,"_ The Captain looked towards the Chairman. _"Your new orders are as follows: Get to Old France immediately, desolate the enemy forces, and take whatever parts you need to repair Unit-02 Dash. We offer you the Paris Assault Fleet, do what you must."_

"I will do as I have, Chairman." She bowed, letting the room fade from a dark chamber to a green room once more. She turned to leave, looking to see Dr. Akagi walking towards her. "Dr. Akagi."

"You didn't tell then," Akagi noted. "About Armaros."

"The UN has enough trouble in regards to us, we don't need to add to their hysteria as is."

"And so you think keeping Armaros' survival under wraps is the best bet?" She inquired.

"It's the only choice we've got right now," Katsruagi stated. "Anyways, tell me you have something new, Doctor."

"You can say that," She replied, handing a report panel. "This apparent thunder is an artificial storm surrounding NERV's new weapon. We estimate its current course it into the Atlantic, but we don't have any solid leads on it currently."

"No solid leads? It's an airship, not a submarine." She groaned.

"We don't know that. With every new toy NERV brings to the table, it seems like anything is possible at this point." Ritsuko explained.

"And NEVEC? Are they pulling anything yet?"

"Aside from leaving NEOS in low orbit to run autonomously, nothing yet. We've had no reports of the Black Narwhal in waters, so hopefully, they'll stay out of our hair for now." _Hopefully,_ Katsuragi thought to herself. _Hope's one of the few things we need now. Without it, we'd be dead in the water… Well, it's mostly due to hope. And it's all thanks to h- _"Captain? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Katsuragi stated, leaving the area. "Inform me when we're near Paris, I'll be in my quarters till then."

"Yes, Ma'am."


	16. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Oh boy, to say this chapter has been a doozy would be an understatement. It's gone through a lot of work and rewriting for the past few weeks, and I'm for the most, satisfied with how it came out in the end.**_

_**Alright, so getting away from my writing rants, I want to give a shoutout to **_**_The Great Dullahan- Shinji wasn't using an EVA per se, it was an Entry Plug Simulation similar to the training exercise used in Episode-02. As for the EVA Shinji was using in the simulation test, I'd guess it to be a Mark.06 or Unit-01 model._**

**_I don't know, I'll leave that to you all to think about! Hehehe..._**

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Coming Approach**

**SCC Sarenidomu, Pacific Ocean**

"I don't see the point in you insulating Section-31 incapability to support us, Ikari." Fuyutsuki looked towards Gendo, who took the time to look over his desk display after his meeting with Section-31. So far, only 10 of the 30 Production Facilities were currently active, meaning the factories were either lost to the environment or salvaged for parts by Section-31. "They've handled themselves on their own, even if their commanders are flawed."

"I didn't expect Cypher to react so childishly. For him to think I care about his expectations, and to think my mere words were enough to instigate him to combat, " Ikari inquired, sliding his hand over the desk to switch back to another project. "That alone shows me their ability to cooperate with us is forfeit."

"Admittedly, with the loss of SEELE, Section-31 is in question about the change in guidance. But perhaps the attack on Paris will the boost of self-confidence they need, to cooperate with us." The elder stated, fixing his collar slightly as he overlooked the ocean below. "Still, what are you hoping for, Ikari? You and I both know you're making a risky play sending out Cypher to handle WILLE subjectively."

"What makes you assume that?" Gendo's visor gleamed as he spoke, so the man wouldn't bother to look to see Fuyutsuki's puzzled stare.

"Aside from the obvious factor of Evangelion, the boy will find necessity rather than an obligation in taking back Wunder in the name of Armaros and SEELE. And we both know revenge is a dish not easily taken, especially not by Evangelion."

"Unit-16 is a prototype, Professor even if altered to Section-31's criteria. Whether or not it is destroyed or seized is of no relevance to us, not with Armaros and Towart in our possession." Gendo remarked, standing up for the first time since NERV. He motioned, and the pair left the bridge down the dark hallway of the vessel. "Besides, WILLE is skeptically the source of Cypher's hatred, it's only natured to that which he seeks most to him on a silver platter."

"Even if means his rage will blind him?"

It's human nature to want revenge, Fuyutsuki. It's in our blood, selfish desire to condemn the damned of this hell. Section-31 is no different, they seek revenge for the world which left them, and perhaps they may even have it." Gendo rebuked. "But it will only happen because I allow it to. Cypher and his senseless commanders have kept their distance from me, out of my grasp even, and the loss of NERV proves how insufficient their obligation is to support me. So, I'll simply use it to my advantage. I will remind them that they were nothing without the means I provided them. They are as human as any one of us."

"Even _you_?" Fuyutsuki raised a brow at that, and Gendo simply smirked.

"I am no exception to this rule, I admit. My hatred brewed when I lost Yui to Evangelion-to SEELE. And whilst they may be dead and lost to the winds of time, their deaths have done little to soothe my anger towards the world, the world that failed itself in the end. No-my vengeance will not be satisfied until Yui is in my arms once more."

"And what of your sons, then?" Fuyutsuki continued, making the NERV Commander fall quiet. "You know she'll want you reunited together, whether you want it or not."

"In the end, our reunion will end in death. But if that's what it takes to see Yui, alive or not, then so be it. I will burn this world in the fire of all Impacts, from 1st to 5th if I must. I will not allow anything else to stand in my way, no man, woman, or child."

_So this is how far you've fallen,_ Fuytsuki thought sadly. _Willing to give up your sons to a cause that, at this point, may not even be worth fighting for. Hell, I'm sure it never worth fighting for, to begin with. At this point, you're simply suing Yui as a placeholder to get back at the world._

"So who do you assume will come to understand your selfish desire first? Shinji or Shiro?"

"Shinji is a victim to the world like me, a boy rejected by love and family in the name of an ideal future, the future which humanity destroyed itself. And Shiro...?" In the small moments where Gendo went quiet, the old professor pondered if it were that he was trying to find the right words, or he simply didn't have a true answer to it. Finally, he spoke. "Shiro's hatred for me came the moment I split him from Shinji. His inability to watch him, to guard him, make him grow deep in resentment. And it only grew more after the tests, the Keel boy, and Bardiel all fell atop his shoulders."

"But soon, they will see why my evil is necessary for peace. In time, they will come to us and by the time they do," He smirked darkly, a look of malicious might hiding below the red visor. "We will be more than ready."

"So we hope," Fuyutsuki added.

"But for now, we must improvise. Armaros was strong, but the pilot was insufficient. His lust for torturing his enemies blinded him to WILLE's ability to improvise in his… episodes."

He remarked, starting up the tram system. It was similar to Wunder's- a simple metal tram cart held connected by a long wire which allowed it to roar across the belly of Sarenidomu. "And it's clear the Dummy Plug system, while easy to process, can easily be hijacked and turned against us. I need a weapon that can think and act better than Lilin and machine, without the need to rely on emotions or commands."

"And you believe Armaros holds this key?" Fuyutsuki persisted, taking a seat. "Pray tell, do you to reclone the pilot?"

"The EVA yes, but Akabe Keel is no use to us. Even if he survived the fall of the Black Moon, his body will remain intact, unable to decompose. That is the curse of Lilith and Adam's forbidden connection, the Curse of Evangelion." Gendo purred, letting the tram ride forward into the dark hangar. Lights came on to reveal Armaros' body. It was damaged slightly; the left leg armor was exposed, the shoulders were broken, several pieces of black armor were crack across the frame, and the head was cracked gravely. But it was nothing Sarenidomu could not fix.

"To think, such a young man who had a bright future ahead would fall this far." Fuyutsuki mourned nonchalantly.

"Akabe's belief in justice was tarnished when his brother fell to Bardiel. And when he learned the bond Shiro and Vincent had, he snapped." The elder Ikari continued, running a gloved hand across Armaros' larger palm. Smooth, yet rigid with cracks across the glossy form. "In the end, it was only the research we needed. With it, we will bring back one of our more… notable members."

"Another BM-Specimen?"

Gendo shook his head. "No, something vaster. I need something will strike the soul, enough to harm WILLE _and_ NEVEC from the inside out. And this Evangelion and its core, are the key to that."

* * *

**Hangar Bay Level 2, NEVEC Headquarters**

Deep in NEVEC Headquarters, mobilization was in full swing. Troops rushed up ramps, important crates were lowered into large decks, and technicians ran or barked orders to prepare the newest transport for flight. The vessel was big, only half the size of the Black Narwhal in comparison.

It was built with a triangular front that acted as a large catapult runway, connecting to a rectangular body that ended only with two pairs of twin engines, separated by a huge rudder blade in between. Before the aft tail was the bridge, which consisted of two command bridges situated atop a large outer hangar bay, with a secondary hangar positioned before even that. The sigil of NEVEC sat on the tail, with the words _**"US NEVEC WHITE SUN"**_ painted on the lower half of the front body.

"So again, remind why we're taking this spaceship?" Within the White Sun's bridge stood Shiro beside Shinji and Musashi. Mana and Kensuke had taken to entering the ship's quarters, while Touji and Kaji remained behind with NEVEC HQ. "It seems like a waste of resources with the Narwhal here."

"Because the Black Narwhal is needed on the East Coast close to the capital, we can't travel below the radar. So, instead of going underwater, we'll go above it. We're taking this space assault ship to get close enough for the stealth jet to get you on Wunder when we reach France." Musashi explained. "It's the only ship available as the rest of our forces are on guard with Ikari loose and Wunder in the sky, so the government doesn't want to take the risk of losing anything to either part."

"Okay, I get that part," Shinji stated, looking down the long runway. "So why don't we just take the stealth jet and leave this giant battleship here?"

"The stealth jet is sadly a prototype, so it can only get so far on standard and bingo fuel. Not to mention neither you nor Shiro have test piloted it, so there's that factor."

"Oh great.." Shinji groaned, rubbing his neck. He was hoping they wouldn't be flying, but luck just wasn't on his side anymore. But he did give props to whoever built the ship, they still held on account the design choice for the Black Narwhal, and that was easily seen considering the ship looked like the top of an aircraft carrier with the bridge towers at the back.

Shiro gave him a reassuring look. "Hey, look on the bright side!" Shinji gave him a dry look as he grinned. "You have me as a company. Not to mention Touji and the others."

"Yeah, I guess I have that on my side…" Shinji remarked, overlooking the ship layout. "I'll admit, compared to Wunder and the Narwhal, this is pretty impressive."

"Yep, she's one of the first ships completed, so her crew had a good idea on what to expect in these types of stealths run." Musashi described, tossing his captain's hat into the command chair. "And considering we currently have 20, it safe to say WILLE will have another thing coming if they try to invade."

"Yeah, but don't forget they have their own battle fleet guarding the ship. It'll be difficult to get past them all."

Musashi smirked. "All the better. Alright, all hands, prepare for departure!" He ordered, and like lightning, crewmen began buzzing and working as fast as they talked. The ship's engine cells hummed to life as the smaller engine cells glowed brighter. Cargo trucks floored it and crane shifted away at the carrier began to rise, the large landing gear systems entering the hull as the ship gently pulled out the dry dock and into the water.

Slowly the ship began to turn, taking up space at it rose higher and higher until the towers first appeared out of the water. Military sirens blared as the White Sun arose into the bright sunny day, the bottom engines coming to life and boosting the ship up.

"Main reactors online!"

"All hands aboard, sir!"

"Vehicle units accounted for and locked down."

"Anti-A.T Field system at 59% and rising steadily!"

"Hangar bay's are locked down!"

"Artillery systems, 9-18 are standing by."

"Sub-Commander Strasberg, Captain Ikari? We're on schedule and ready to take flight." Musashi nodded, looking towards Shiro and Shinji.

"Perfect!" Musashi exclaimed, looking over to a smirking Shiro, with his arms crossed. "We're all set, Captain. So, where to?"

"Paris, Old France. I feel itchy to see the supposed "City of Love'." he declared, determination flaring across his face. He turned towards the chair, pressing a side button before turning with crossed arms. _"Attention, crew of the White Sun!"_

"_This is Captain Shiro Ikari, former pilot of Evangelion Unit-Null and head of NEVEC."_ His voice radiated off the ship's many internal speakers, gaining attention from all across the ship as he spoke. _"I stand before you all embarking on the first official mission against WILLE in 5 years. While that may seem like a good timespan not being at each other's throats, it seems fate tells us otherwise today. Our mission is straightforward: Infiltrate the UN flagship, the AAA Wunder and steal whatever information we can. Our course trajectory will take us deep into the SEELE Dead Zone of Old France, occupied by NERV militia Section-31. Our communications with NEVEC Headquarters will be disabled, and we will be on our own._

"_But the White Sun has something many ships in the UN are not known for. __**You**__." _He continued. _"We've come to understand in this world that there is no such thing as "the unknown," but rather temporarily hidden. And today we are hidden no more. Today we make the first strike, against NERV, against SEELE, against Section-31 and WILLE with hell at our backs, and we show those lapdogs why you don't screw with us!"_

"Damn right!" A crewman called.

"He's right, we're done hiding."

"Yeah, let's show those fuckers who boss!"

"Let's give them hell!"

"To NEVEC!"

"To NEVEC!" Musashi declared alongside, finally yelling, "All engines, ahead flank! Let's show those bastards who they fucked with! To France!"

"To France!" The crew chanted, live with energy and hope as the White Sun roared across the land and into the Pacific Ocean.

Shiro turned towards Shinji with a grin. "Pays to give hope to those in need," He said, making his way to the far door. "C'mon, let's leave the crew to their work. Let's look for our quarters, we need to work on something for you."

"For me?" Shinji asked.

* * *

**Crew Quarters Deck-04, US White Sun**

"So this is what it's like to fly?" Shinji found himself overlooking the passing sea as the White Sun flew. By now it was closing in on nightfall, the sunset was calming in Shinji's eyes. Helped ease the worry building up.

"Not used to flying?" Shiro asked, walking up with a pair of soda cans. The room they were in was large compared to what they'd expected. It was a simple oval-shaped room with corners, several beds for the group, a wall-mounted mini kitchen and fridge, and a patio-like lookout. Mana and Touji were fast asleep in their beds, while Kensuke was with Musashi on the bridge.

"Not used to flying without getting _**shot**_." He chuckled. The pair drank simply, talking and pondering as to what would come in the next hours. Both knew what to expect, or at least Shinji did. Shiro couldn't stop the sinking feeling he had, and every time he thought about _her_ it got worse. "I wonder what'll happen when we get there… If we'll even see one another."

"I hope not," Shinji said, glancing at his gloved hand. "I honestly hope she'll be on the bridge screaming about what to shoot and when. Knowing Asuka she'll be with Mari or on the ground, raising hell. I'm almost terrified to know just what'll happen if she discovers us aboard."

"I know what you mean. All this time, Misato's presumed I'm still dead but if we face off…" He trailed, discovering he never bothered to consider what would happen at that moment. "It's what she's become that scares us, isn't it?" He didn't reply. Shiro sighed sadly. "I know, it… It's a tough pill to swallow. Even now, I can't believe the things she has done to others."

"It's just that… I-I can't wrap my head around it. I know I should but even after the collar, the glove, and Kaworu I…." Shinji fumbled with his words, a distressed look on his face as he spoke. "I just can't believe this is _Misato_ we're going up against."

"I know what you mean. Truth be told, I always thought it would be Akagi or someone else from Old NERV who would take charge. I guess as the months become years, and hope we'd find the real you faded, her hope and drives faded too." Shiro said painfully, looking to his hands with an ashamed stare. "I know it was the fear of losing more people that drove her to change, but sometimes I wonder if it was _me_ who drove her to hide her emotions?"

"What do you mean?"

"You of all people know I don't see eye to eye with how we do things, Shinji. When it came to Gendo and me, it was apparent but I still forced my emotions aside for the good of others, the welfare of you. I guess in one sense she saw how I controlled my emotions and wanted to follow the same idea- bury your emotions in and stick to your guns. But, she forgot to open back up about it. It's not always are actions that make us who we are, it's our emotions too. They separate us from the monsters, from going down dark paths."

"Dark paths…" Shinji hummed at his response, and the brothers grew silent. They stayed quiet for a while, letting sea pass by before Shinji asked, "Do you think things could have been different? You know with NERV and WILLE and the UN and Misato..."

"Genuinely speaking?" Shiro's voice grew disheartened and sad as he spoke. "I think about it every day. I think of the times where we weren't at each other's throat, where there wasn't so much hate. When we were friends. Family, even... I think about _that_ day, what we did, what we said, where we went wrong. Where _I_ went wrong. I know I've always been held high in regards to my beliefs and actions, but... as much as I am, as much as I hate Misato, I am to blame for what happened."

"Shiro, no…" Shinji argued. "You can't be serious! You couldn't have known Misato would... Lash out like that, no one could have!"

"Even so, I should have!" Shiro counted, looking to him. The look in his eyes made Shinji's heart swell up. "I should have seen it, Shinji. Saw the person she was becoming, the pain she had for everyone. Instead, I… I gave into my anger and grief, and I made her fear and paranoia worse. She came back a monster, worse than Rokubungi even."

"Shinji, I've always thought about what could have changed, what could have been done if the situation was different. Sometimes, there are good endings, other times not so much." Shiro continued."I wonder about what Life could have been before even," He gestured out. "This. Before NEVEC, before WILLE or the Angels or before even NERV. I wonder what our lives would be like if Mom wasn't in Unit-01. If Gehirn had shut down the Evangelion plan…. If our lives weren't hell on Earth."

"And most of all I think about _him…_." Shinji paused and looked to his brother in confusion. Shiro didn't look back, staring into the deep ocean with sad eyes. _Him? Does he mean Rokubungi?_ He thought.

"But, why? We both Gendo would have gotten involved in-"

"Shinji," Shiro stopped him, looking down. "I wasn't talking about father."

Now Shinji was confused. He assumed it was Gendo, but if it wasn't him then who? There were only a handful of people who came to mind when it came to Shiro's life- Misato, Gendo, Fuyutsuki possibly, SEELE, and… _Oh,_ was all he could think. _Him._

"But… Why? I thought you-" Shiro raised his hand, cutting him off.

He chuckled a bit. "No, I… I hated VEELE, I hated the man who had torn apart his own body and soul just to be greater than all. Greater than the Angels, greater than Gendo, greater than the whole damn world. I never once said I hated _Vincent Keel_."

"_Keel?_ Wait, VEELE was…"

Shiro nodded. "Yep. Vincent was the son of Zath Keel and grandson of Lorenz Keel. He was my first ever real friend and one of the first pilots of Evangelion before you."

"But-Wait, I don't understand." Shinji shook his head. "You said VEELE was pure _evil_ back then. He was a monster, he tortured you and harmed in so many ways."

"True," Shiro acknowledged. "I did. VEELE was, in fact, pure evil at its final moments. But Vincent Keel was the polar opposite to SEELE's masked lapdog. He was kind, friendly, compassionate, my first true friend in those long years in NERV US. The reality of our split never came from his obsession with harming others, but rather it came moment _**it**_ arrived."

"It?"

Shiro seethed in anger. "That chrome demon… That _thing…._Evangelion Unit-04."

* * *

**Flashback, NERV 2nd US Branch**

_Alarms blared all around as troopers rushed to guard and technicians barked orders to one another. "Okay, Commander! We're ready to lower the test prototype!" A technician yelled, giving a thumbs up to the observation deck above him._

"_Solid copy, LT. You heard him, boys!" Cmdr. Ulysses called, turning around to see his crew working tirelessly to prepare the main chamber. "Get those doors open, and get that fucking mech in here! On the double!"_

"_Sir, yes sir!"_

"_Oh, boy. Looks like the Commander is pissed, wonder what's happening?" Shiro stood beside Vincent, softly speaking to not invoke the bald man's wrath. His hair was short, kept being a low fade to the sides and back with medium hair on his left side. His outfit consisted of a simple US NERV Plugsuit with black and dark blue colors, ankle-high black boots, and a black leather jacket._

"_Knowing him, it's probably something about the men eating his breakfast biscuits." Unlike the 13-year old, Vincent Keel was a year older with light maroon eyes and dark silver hair which stopped just above his upper back. He wore a zipped up black-hooded jacket with red hemmings, grey pockets and matching flannel flaps, black leggings with red lines, short black shorts, and red/grey high boots. "But then again, who knows?"_

_"Heh, amen to that." The new warning alarm caught the boys' attention as chains begin rotating gears and metal runners groaned as the arriving cargo lowered. It didn't appear until the elevator platform arrived, revealing a leg of shiny feet which connected to a revealing humanoid body, mechanical shoulder blades, and a monstrous head. "Holy shit…"_

"_Is that… another Evangelion?" Vincent was taken back by the giant. It was sharp chrome, with black arms and red accents across the chest, shoulder blades, ankles, and head. There was also red armor which sat on the stomach, lined which white which gave the machine humanoid a superb look. "It's… It's beautiful."_

"_Ikari, Keel! Front and center on the double!" The pilots rushed forward, taking a saluting stance as Cmdr. Ulysses walked up to them with a dull look. "Quit your shitty act, I know you both hate my guts more than my goddamn wife. Now listen up!" They both lowered their guards. "NERV Command has seen fit to test their newest invention. I present to you maggots the latest in Commander Ikari's arsenal, Evangelion Unit-04!"_

"_Very… Shiny." Both had skeptical looks and mixed emotions in them. Vincent was both awestruck and troubled by this newcomer… yet, oddly excited by it. It was unique and it made their prototype EVA pale in comparison to it's fleshed out and seamless form._

_But for Shiro… Well, he couldn't put his finger on it. The look the EVA had was one of virtue, maybe even purity to some. But to Shiro, it gave a very cold vibe to the boy. He couldn't make out what it was- maybe the colors? The red? The eyes? It had to be something, that or… maybe it was just him. "So um, Commander…. Who's EVA is this?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the humanoid mech._

"_That's a good question, Ikari boy. After a lot of yelling and bitching and whining, the US finally got the better of your old man and got our boy, Keel here, to become the official test pilot of Unit-04!" The look of Vincent's face… It was priceless. It made Shiro snicker in laughter but also pale as the feeling he grew colder suddenly. Nevertheless, he was happy for his friend, and the clapping Vincent received helped him blend into the crowd of people happy for his best friend._

_His friend was fulfilling his dream; he was becoming a pilot to save the world. And soon, Shiro would be by his side in Null-Unit. How better could it get?!_

* * *

**End Flashback**

"Unit-04? Wait, I'm confused- Bardiel was in Unit-_**03**_ wasn't it? If that's the case then that means Unit-04 was the REAL Unit-03 and Bardiel was Unit-04 in different armor-Am I going to deep into this?" Shinji asked, getting a snicked as he paused his rant.

"Yeah, you kind of are. The reality is that, at the time, Bardiel didn't exactly have a physical form he would use, he was essentially a thunderstorm outside, so it wasn't a real threat then. But when Unit-04 came, the Angel managed to hijack and hide within the Core, acting invisible to our eyes until it was too late." Shiro explained. "Or at least a fraction of him did. As we saw in the Unit-03 incident, Bardiel was able to hijack it fully with Asuka piloting."

"No kidding. What do you mean by a fraction?"

"Well, it's a personal idea I've had since Kaworu explained he was the vessel of Adam's soul in a sense. So I figured that Bardiel did something of the same level. He couldn't fight us because he was a cloud and inside Unit-04's core, but when the test day came…" He trailed, frowning deeper. "That's when it all began to change."

"At first it was subtle, you know? Being in a hospital bed, Vincent was… quiet." The way Shiro continued began to feed a cold vibe down Shinji's spine. It didn't sit right as he spoke. "Not quite in the sense that he was unconscious and not breathing, far from it, he was awake, eyes open wider than ever before. Just… silent, thinking, you know? Calculating. Planning…"

"Over time, he grew sick. Not just mentally but physically, his body was struggling to adjust with the Angel DNA inside. The helmet he wore allowed him to breathe and see properly. It drove him nuts, forced to wear a respirator, forced to pilot a machine _trying_ to kill him, all the pressure everyone put on us at the time, it all got to him. And eventually, he exploded and his victim was, well…." He gestured to his body, keeping his head down. "It was only two years later that I left, two years after he'd left that…"

* * *

**Flashback, NERV 2nd US Branch**

_Shiro kept quiet as staff passed him by, walking slowly towards his room. This was one of the few areas he didn't enjoy going through anymore. Too many memories, good and bad. Too much pain to remember... _

_He breathes shallow, cold air, letting his prosthetic work as he moved. It was difficult to calibrate, both it and his new arm, after the surgery as the surgeons more or less let him loose afterward. It sucked, but it wasn't difficult to work on after reading on it._

_As he walked through the hallway, Shiro froze when he heard a loud crash in the room before him. Glass pieces flew out, followed by a scream of untamed might. He knew exactly who it was, though the reason was more than likely a new one. He continued walking, only pausing when the door was a foot away from him. And then, Shiro heard something else, something… something he didn't expect. Was that…. Crying?_

_Shiro took a better look, peering inside. It was one of the restrooms on the base, the door was jammed into the wall. The roo was trashed-stall doors were thrown open, water was pouring in from the wall and sink pipes, and the glass mirror was shattered by a familiar object wedged in. It was VEELE's back mask, the black casing cracked and the screen fuzzing as the pilot himself sat slouched over a sink beside it._

"_You know you were right about me…" He said softly, not noticing Shiro watching him. "About me being worthless. A disease, this… this cursed monster. About me being a freak. I'm a sadist, a demon, a monster in human clothing. And it wasn't even because of you…"_

"_I wonder what I would be like if I hadn't piloted Unit-04 then. If I had just kept piloting with Ikari in Unit Null." He continued. "Maybe I'd still be me. I'd still be good, be human again… But I can't be. I can't be, because you stole that from me. All of it… from me."_

"_...This world is rotten…" he whimpered, his ragged breaths cutting sharply as he spoke to himself. "This world is just a rotting, garbage nothing in the universe. It's made of nothing, housed by nothing, controlled by nothing. It's just a speck of just you want to take over. All it has are people with selfish desires. Commander Ikari, Commander Ulysses, Fuyutsuki, SEELE… All of them, still standing because of how they want the world to be...like me…"_

"_I had it all…" His body began shaking as his voice rose. "Everything… I had food, I had water, I had a family, I had friends. I had a brother who I never knew… A brother who piloted for the future of his brother. And while we may not have been of blood… He respected me. He __**trusted**__ me. He cared for me. Knew me better than I know myself… And now, instead of being there for me, he hides in terror with plaguing nightmares, and broken body, because of me! Because of you!"_

"_And it's all your fault!" He bashed the shink in. "All of it! Everything I had! Everything I did! All the good I fucking did! All the joy and love and happiness I had! The family I had! The brother that loved me for who I was! The father who inspired me to save humanity from death's grace! The brother I never had!" He screamed, bashing the sink with his fists. "The friends I made! The love I lost! The mother who died for me! It was for nothing because of you! I lost it all because of you You stole my hope! You stole my future! YOU! STOLE! IT! ALL! FROM! ME!__**"**_

"_I LOST EVERYTHING TO YOU, TO THAT FUCKING ROBOT! TO HIM! __**I HATE YOU!**__" He shrieked, the sink finally giving out and falling with a crash as he choked up. "YOU-YOU'VE T-TAKEN EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME! ALL I HAVE IS MY HATRED! SHAME, RAGE, HATRED, HURTFUL-!" He fell forward, sliding down the wall as he began crying. "All… All I have is my loneliness now."_

"_It's all I have left..." He cried, letting his hair fall into his line of sight. He sniffled, letting out a sad chuckle. "Though I… suppose I've always been alone, right? A-Al-ways…" He let his head fall back, choking up in thought. "I have nothing left. Nothing to gain. Nothing to my name even. Just a nobody with a hole in his chest… and all I did was make __**his**__ ten times bigger."_

_He continued to weep, crying into his pain as Shiro layed onto the wall, letting his tears follow suite._

* * *

**End Flashback**

"Oh my God. Shiro, I…" Shinji couldn't speak. How could he? What could he say? What could he do to soothe his brother's pain, the pain of not being able to help his friend as he fell into despair? "I'm so sorry. I never thought about VEELE that way, I-I always assumed he just-"

"That he had it out for me?" He asked, gulping with a shiver. "I-I know, I did for a while too..." He mumbled, looking at his can. "Sometimes I wonder what I could have done that day. What could I have said, did, what could I have done aside from just sit there and cry for my friend?"

"Shiro, you _did_ do something for him. You brought him peace! He may have been evil, and monstrous to us but that Bardiel talking, not him. And we fought that day when we killed that Angel, we set him free. We brought back Vincent Keel. He may not be alive, he may not have been who he was in the moment, but we brought him peace." Shinji said to him, putting a hand to his shoulder. "And honestly? I think it's something he counted on you for."

"Hating and killing him?"

"Bringing him to peace." He finished solemnly. "Because he knew it would be you who could bring him back."

Shiro hummed softly, looking back out into the sky turned to night. "...Perhaps your right, little brother," he said softly, pulling himself up and turning to face Shinji. He had a tired look now, but unexpectedly, instead of falling forward he pulled Shinji into a hug. "Thank you…. For hearing and letting me vent."

Shinji smiled and returned the hug. "Anytime, it's what us brothers are for." He said, pulling back. "So what now?"

"For now though, I'm going to stay out here and think about what else we may need for tomorrow. For know, you can rest if you like."

"It's only eight thought!"

"True, but- and hear me out for a sec- counter argument- we have some training to do tomorrow morning."

Shinji paled. "Training?" He repeated.

"Yep, I wanted to start it sooner but we'll wait on it for tomorrow. To get your blood pumping for the mission." He explained, walking up and dropping in his bed, which was the opposite of Shinji's. "For now, you can relax if you want to. I'll see you in the morning."

Shinji chuckled, pulling out his S-DAT from his back. "G'night, man." He said, walking into the room. Shiro kept quiet, looking down towards the sea, thinking still about Vincent.

_I wonder… Did you know it would come to this? Did you know you'd die that day or was that just **it** controlling you then? I wonder..._

* * *

**Flashback, NERV 2nd US Branch**

_Alarms blared as the screaming rose higher and higher, the growling, snarling sounds of Unit-04 echoing in the chamber. "Synchronization levels are off the charts!"_

"_Connections 6-9 are failing, I can't disable the main system!"_

"_Emergency shutdown codes are unresponsive, sir!"_

"_Sequence patterns are fading, I can't raise them any higher!"_

"_Pilot heart rate in increasing 130 BPM!"_

"_Activate LCL pressure increase-!"_

"_We CAN'T! Nothing's going into the system anymore!"_

_Another scream, louder than before and full of agony. "AAAUGHGHGH! OOOOH GGGGGODDODD… O GO-ODDDD W-WHWHHY…." He shrieked, his body gushing with all sort of agonizing pain in the worst ways possible. "GOD HELP ME. HELP ME! SOMEONE PLEASE… HELLLP MMMEEE!"_

"_We have to disable that damn robot!" Cmdr. Ulysses barked._

"_Commander!" Shiro yelled, running to him. "Let me take out Unit Null! I can force the EVA down and rip out the Entry Plug with it!"_

"_Absolutely not! I ain't risking our best EVA to that thing!"_

"_If we don't, it'll kill him!"_

"_If it does, we'll replace him Ikari!"_

"_You can't be serious!"_

"_I sure as hell am!"_

"_He's my friend-I HAVE to help him!"_

"_It's not happening, Private! Deal with it!"_

"_Damn you!" Shiro roared, ready to lunge at the commander until he heard his voice._

"_GOOOO-GOOOD HELP! HELP ME, SHIRO! HELP ME!" He screamed louder and louder. "KILLME….KILLMEKILLMEKILLMEKILLEKILLMEKILLMEKILLMEKILLE-JUST FUCKING KILL ME! __**KILL ME SHIRO!**__"_

"_Vincent…" Shiro breathed in horror, the pain building up in his chest. The pain turned to anger as he grabbed Ulyssess by this shirt, pulling him around and shaking him. "LET ME HELP HIM, DAMMIT!"_

_The Commander sneered, shoving the boy off him. "And I suppose you'll just go out and save him like a knight in shining armor, eh? Not happening, Private! I won't risk my men's lives over your petty ass needs! Corporal, get him out of here!" He snapped._

"_Yessir!"_

"_No! NO! You can't do this to me!" Shiro wrestled against the guards, struggling and kicking as he screamed. "**Damn you**! Damn you to hell and back! You bastard monsters! You can't just let him die! He's my friend, my family! I have to help him! I NEED to! Vincent! **VINCENT**!"_

* * *

**End Flashback**

_Forgive me, Vincent. I left you there, in that EVA to die… _His hands balled into fists and he could feel his eyes watering. _I couldn't be there for you then, but I can stand for what we dreamed of now. _He looked towards the room, towards a sleeping Shinji and smiled softly._ For you and him. From now on, I look to the future, for all of us. I__** must.**_


	17. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Hi everyone, KnightOfZ3R0 here! I just wanted to assure everyone that I'm fine. I've sadly been doing a lot of school work and in my last year, it REALLY counts. So I've been working to meet demands and deadlines, and overall looking into new and old animes and game series (I.E Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, and Devil May Cry, oddly enough.)**_

_**So with that, I just want to assure that I'm still working and that I won't rest until the story is done. So don't worry, I'm not going anywhere!**_

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

**Chapter 16: The Frenchman's Duel**

**WILLE AAA Wunder, Old France**

It was a cold morning in the eyes of Captain Katsuragi, as usual, the dark shadow of the moon gave little to comfort in her deepest thoughts. But she couldn't put her finger on _what_ if was rather than why.

Was it her anxiety? Her dread, her grief, her fear? Anything was possible at this point. It may have been because Unit-13 was never recovered. It may have been because they hadn't cracked the Ayanami Clone yet.

Or, the most likely, it was from the vibe the Wunder now had. That dark, unsettling, almost poisonous air within across the ship after Asuka was rescued. And that damn EVA, still being alive...

_With the Mark.09 destroyed and Unit-13 missing, Ikari only has Armaros, Towart and a handful of toys left._ She considered looking to her desk. _But knowing him, Section-31 knows we're coming- hell, they're probably waiting for us to appear. _Was it too much to ask them all to just give up? She figured it was stubbornness or arrogance on Ikari's side, but in the end, it wouldn't matter. Stretching, she stood up and pushed in her chair.

Her room wasn't much, it was actually the thing she requested little for- A light wood flooring and white ceiling, a large bed, a lamp, a coffee table, and her computer desk and chair. Simple. Finally, there was a large window which sat beside her bed, overlooking the outside area and the distant area of Old France.

She laid in her darkroom, nothing more but her lingerie on as the thought about life. She hated this, living like this. It was hell and the fact they only touched the surface when needed didn't help either. Still, it beats being stuck in the middle of Old Japan like Asuka. Speaking of Asuka, the redhead was finally resting in her quarters under Mari's watch, which was itself a stretch.

Hell, if anything it was usually the opposite for opposite reasons.

But she trusted Mari- a hell of a lot more than she did with the rest of the crew. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, per se it was just that she didn't know them as much as Asuka or Mari or the former NERV members specifically. They were all newbies, and they had all sorts of pent up anger to take out on NERV and NEVEC.

"A bunch of fools." She peered her gaze to a photo taped onto the wall beside the window. It was taken way back, back in 2018 when their hopes were high. It was Asuka, Mari, Shiro, Kaji and her. She sat on the bedside, eying the smiling face of Shiro with an indifferent look. "It never would have worked in the end, Shiro. And now that you're gone, he's gone too… All that's left is a bunch of old fools, trying to right wrongs..."

"What a sad life to die in, huh old friend?" A speaker crackled to life, announcing their arrival to Paris which was enough to wake her fully. The lavender-haired woman grunted, pulling herself up and grabbing her uniform when her communicator rang. "Fuck…" She groaned louder, pulling it to her ear. "Katsuragi speaking."

"_Captain, this is the bridge. We've settled above Old Paris, and the Paris Assault Fleet is coming online. We're on station, ready to prepare a landing zone."_

"I'm on my way."

* * *

**Euro-NERV Paris, Old France**

If you were to look at Paris, Old France right here and now, the biggest change you'd see would be the color. Color above all else stood out as if the city was concealed by a red blanket of death. Something Ritsuko was unsure of how it came to be.

The city was abandoned during the Tours invasion, and with little casualties no less. And aside from the now hovering above AAA Wunder and it's new Assault Fleet, nothing was really alive down there. So what caused all this? "You know, it's been close to 16 years since I came to the City of Love." She, looking out the bridge screens to the sodom below. "I never imagined I'd see it, but not like this."

"You assumed that Section-31 would move in and make the city their home?" Katsuragi's voice made the faux-blonde shake her head.

"Far from it, I assumed I'd be dead before ever seeing it again." She replied, quietly listening to the ship crew work and the Wunder's low engine hum. "I wonder… Just what happened here?"

The Captain nodded grimly. "Ritsuko Akagi, famed EVA genius not knowing about something. That's never a good sign," She joked sarcastically, looking over the balcony towards Aboa. "How's it looking down there, Shigeru?"

The man sighed, fixing his glasses. "Not good. The entire city seems to be coated in this weird, core material substance." He explained, pulling up a visual on the main screen. Sure enough, the entire city was covered in red, making it look less like Paris and more like Old Japan.

"Jesus," Some of the crew whispered amongst themselves. "This is horrible…"

"This can't be from Fourth Impact…" Hyuga motioned, glancing at his friend. "Could it?"

"Could it be an experiment under process?" Koji suggested.

"No." Ritsuko's voice cut into everyone's conversation. "When the city was abandoned by Wunder in 2019, it looked nothing like this. It still had color, life- humans. no this, it's like a blanket was put over it."

"Well, regardless of what it is, I don't recommend breathing it in," Kitakami stated. "My scanners are telling me that oxygen levels are badly decreased around the surface, but luckily CO2 tanks can cover for that."

"Can we use the Anti L-Barrier to open the Euro-NERV Facility?"

"Yes, but sadly we can't connect to the Sealing Pillars systems from here," Hyuga spoke up. "We'd have to physically connect to one of the Pillars, then get the Barrier online."

"We'd be wide to attack!" Hideki exclaimed. "And I don't think Wunder could withstand an assault so close to the ground."

"Not if we prepare for one," Misato growled back, turning to Shigeru and Hideki. "I want a crew down there on the surface. Provide whatever land vehicles we have. Establish a perimeter on the surface and shield in the air, and we'll have Unit-05 and 8 as support."

"Aye aye, ma'am!"

"Hideki, contact Maya. Tell her to run this to the pilots, and prepare for mobilization."

"You got it!"

"Until we can lend a hand, Wunder will return to orbit above the city," Misato stated, turning to Sumire. "Sumire, once we land, switch helm control to the MAGI, and shift into System-10-98."

"The Cable Flight system?" The helmsman asked. "We've haven't had time to try it! Ma'am."

"Well now's a good time to, just get on it! Something tells me we're gonna need it," The Captain said, looking at Ritsuko as she added smugly, "Call it women's intuition if you will."

* * *

**EVA Storage Hangar, AAA Wunder**

The main EVA Cage Hangar of Wunder- a humongous oval-shaped room where Unit's 05, 08 and the remains of Unit-02 Dash sat in. They were positioned in the left front cell of the airship, which acted as a makeshift cocoon thanks to the reinforced steel armor plating all around. The EVA themselves sat in crouching positions in their separate cages, automatic systems and human technicians working to prepare them for launch,

"Alright, this is the Mission debriefing, so listen up!" Maya's voice echoed across the deck, gaining everyone's attention now. "Operation Restoration is as follows- a DSVR transport will take me, Vice-Captain Akagi and several technicians down to Euro-NERV's 1st Sealing Pillar, positioned at the Arc de Triomphe. Our ground forces, led by Captain Shikinami, will create a defensive perimeter around the Pillar, while the Assault Fleet and EVA Units will watch the skies for any surprise attacks."

"It should be noted that this is the first time in 10 years that we'll be facing off against NERV's Militia Defense Force, Section-31." She continued. Already the looks of discomfort and dread make her question why add this part in. "It should be noted that since the Battle of Touraine 10 years ago, we got cut off all known communications with this part of Europe."

"We have no idea what the hell these freaks have been doing, or cooking up for us since then. Well, I don't care if it's God's own Anti-Son of a Bitch machine or another goddamn EVA, we're not gonna let 'em have it over us! What we will let them had is a stomach full of their own to drown in!" She barked. "Am I right, troopers?!"

"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am!" The men saluted.

She huffed with a nod. "Damn right I am. Now move it, double time!" She ordered, sending the troops and pilots running to their stations. Well, save for Mari and Asuka who stood beside another figure. "Prodigium, you and Unit-08 are getting upgraded to Anti-A.T Field rounds. We don't have a lot of ammunition, so make every shot count."

"_**No need to tell me twice."**_ The humanoid replied sharply. He was different from the other pair, dressed in a modified EVA Plugsuit, completely silver with white lines going across. Although aside from his helmet, his Plugsuit had this sort of liquidy, almost look all over it, like he was covered in some invisible liquid.

He turned and left as Maya shifted to Asuka. "Shikinami, you'll be leading our ground forces in land tanks in case Section-31 has anything up their sleeve. As I said, we haven't been here for a good while, so keep your eyes peeled for whatever seems out of the ordinary."

"Oh yes, because an entire city covered in red Angel matter is natural. Trust me, Maya- I'm already on edge," Asuke replied sarcastically, tossing her hair back and turning to Mari. "As for you…" she sighed and brought her hands to her hips. "I don't think Maya or me have to tell you- just get in your EVA and kill whatever tries to attack us."

"Yeah, yeah I got it! Geez, get off my case, Red!" Mari replied, cheekily smiling as she trotted out the room into the hangar. Above her sat Unit-05, which began whirling online as the Entry Plug came to. She merely skipped across the deck, walking up to her own Evangelion as the hangar began opening.

"So… This is Paris, the City of Love huh?" She asked herself, catching a glimpse of the city below as she climbed up to her Entry Plug, which was docked into the floor beside the pink EVA. _Sweet. Can't wait to spread all the love I have to offer to those bastards~!_

* * *

**NEVEC US White Sun, Atlantic Ocean**

"Alright, move it! Move it! Get those hangar doors closed! We're preparing for landing!" Across the surface of the US White Sun, technicians and crew members rushed to move air and land vehicles were brought into the interior of the floating battleship. Doors began closing, panels sifted to seal exits and entrances, and the lower battery cannons retracted into the ship's hull.

"Bringing low-level systems online!"

"Switching to sub-reactors 1 and 2!... Active!"

"Main engines are disabled, and the cells have been sealed, sir."

"Good, good. Helmsman, take us down!" Musashi ordered, cross-armed in the captain's chair. "Nice and easy…"

"Nice and easy," The helmsman repeated, slowly lowering the ship into the red sea. "Yessir." More and more the White Sun lowered before the bow finally cut into the red waters, sending waves splashing and slamming into the hull. The ship shook through the tremors, coming to a soft end as the ship calmed. "Aaand….. Touchdown."

"Alright. Good job, everyone!" Musashi congratulated, standing up and stretching as the crew relaxed and got to moving again. He looked to his left, seeing Kensuke and Kaji overlooking something in regards to Wunder. "Kensuke, get ready to move out. I'm gonna head down and get the Ikari brothers up to speed."

"You got it, M!" The spectacle-wearing man waved off, continuing to type away at his computer. Musashi sighed irritably. _Still the same old kid from who freaked out on Over The Rainbow… literally, the exact. Same. kid._

* * *

**Training Room Deck 4-18, US White Sun**

The corridor was dark as Shinji stepped forward, holding his tactical knife in one hand and his SOCOM in the other. He slowly moved up, his hand shaking as he did. _C'mon, Ikari. Get a grip man!_ He told himself, swallowing his fear. _This-This is Shiro we're talking about! He'd never put me in a dangerous position without my opinion…_

_Just scare the shit out of me and make me crap my pants._ As soon as he finished that- As soon as he finished it, a loud bang echoed across the complex, making him flash around in fear. Honestly, he was scared because of how experienced Shiro was in this, he knew his brother could take him down _very_ easily. He was toying with him. He had to be.

This was both terrifying and a bit embarrassing. Here was Shinji Ikari, pilot of Evangelion and brother to Shiro Ikari, and he was about to shit his pants because-

_BANG-! __**CRASH!**_

He jumped around, raising his knife in time to stop a blade from slashing down. He stumbled back as the figure walked forward, slashing at the walls and making sparks erupt from the connecting metal. Shinji raised his pistol, pulling the trigger to realize he hadn't cocked it.

"Crap!" he squeaked out, trying to take a jab forward. The figure ducked to the side, cutting upwards and sending the pistol flying up. It slid around the floor, out of his vision as Shinji kept his gaze on the figure, who lunged. "Shit!"

He shifted around, slashing the shoulder of the figure and pulling out something from behind. Sharp slashes cut through the air as the figure ducked below Shinji's attack, swiftly kicking his legs. The younger retreated back, pulling his blades up as the older swung down. Hard. They were locked now in a struggle, pushing each other as the fighter pushed his blade forward while Shinji did the same.

They only separated when enough was enough- He kicked Shinji's arms up, forcing him to let go of the blade before he caught it with his open hand, ramming the pommel into Shinji's stomach. Shinji could only counter by using the scabbard, which itself wasn't enough as the weapon dug into it. The man pulled back, letting the youth lower his guard with a heavy breath. "Ha, got you! Shiro-2, Shinji-1." He remarked.

"Where did you learn to count? We're even!" Shinji argued. He grabbed his blade, stretching as the lights came back. They'd discovered during their training session (very late, mind you), that looking around for training weapons could get you some… interesting finds.

Shinji found a new dark-bladed katana, with a flat pommel, a black cord wrap wrapped around a white handle, a white hexagon-shaped guard and matching guard collar_,_ and a long sharp black blade. The scabbard was a matching white with black lines across the wooden frame, wrapped by a handle cord. It wasn't much, but it honestly beats using a small knife.

Not to mention Shinji had no experience shooting a weapon let alone any physical training aside from punching Toji that one time, so running and hiding in the shadows had to work better right? Shiro didn't mind, considering he had trained with wooden swords as a hobby back with NERV-US, so he was familiar with using one.

His Murasama consisted of a dark red blade with a silver line across the side, a black _habaki,_ a matching plus-shaped handguard and a dark grey cord wrapped around the handle itself. But it was the dark grey _saya_ itself that caught their attention- a fusion dance between a thin, rectangular scabbard and an assault rifle- built with a square ammo clip and a trigger to boot.

It was something all right. "So, how did I do?" Shinji asked.

"Well, you know how to hold your ground for one. Problem is you focus too much on what's in front, you leave yourself open to side attacks." Shiro replied, sheathing his blade. "We need to work on A- Building up your metabolism, B- Get you knee-deep into close-quarters combat, and

C- Getting you familiar with weapons and vehicles."

"Yay…" Shinji moaned with more dread.

"Oh don't be such a baby. It won't be too bad," Shiro reassured, swinging it up over his shoulder. "For now, maybe we'll leave the shooting guns part out till after the fighting."

"Nice…" As they spoke, the chamber began shifting, revealing them to be in a large rectangular room. A far door along the far wall opened, revealing Musashi with a calm look, marching up to them.

"Gentlemen," He replied, nodding to them both. "We've just landed in the Atlantic Ocean and are currently 400 miles west of France. It's time to get the Prototype up and at it."

"Perfect, we'll get down to the hangar." Shiro agreed. "Tell Mana to get her Plugsuit and meet up with Kensuke there."

"You got it."

* * *

**Main Hangar Bay, A few minutes later**

The main hangar bay connected to the interior hangar of the White Sun, where they rode the elevator from the training sector to the ship surface. On the elevator was Shinji in his Skull-Plugsuit, Kensuke in a modified Plugsuit (something he called the Anti-L Barrier Suit), Mana in her blue Plugsuit, and finally Shiro in his own.

Compared to then, Shiro's Plugsuit was an infusion of his Null Unit and Unit-13's Plugsuit- the chest plating was flattened with thin orange lines across the shoulders, a dark blue top piece with a dark blue lower half, a light blue diamond centered on his chest, and a triangular-shaped backpack piece. He wore atop his traditional black leather biker jacket, as well as black ritual druid pants and knee-high leather bike boots.

"So, this is our means of transportation?" Shinji inquired, looking at the closing vessel.

"Yep. It's only a prototype like I said, but hopefully, this will be the perfect test run." Kensuke stated, lifting up his case. It was a dark grey rectangular case as long as his arm, with a white line outlining the seals with the words 'NEVEC SCIENCE' on the top. "It's a long, borning military name but we've come to call it the Prototype."

The Prototype looked similar to a military jet if it was stretched out. It had a front egg-shaped cockpit which extended back, covering the pilot and passenger seats as the body connected to the "wings". In reality, the wings were large rings with blue inner outlines on either side. It also has a large rocket engine on the back, topped with a black and white color scheme with red highlights, as well as black/yellow striped caution stripes on the sides.

Shinji snickered. "What a bland name, dude. But still, as long as it can get us from here to there," he pointed out to the distant, half-near invisible landscape ahead. "I'll ride with it."

"So, how fast does this thing go?" Shiro asked, looking it over. "These engines look like they pack a punch."

"R&D has calculated the engines can reach up to 3 to 400 miles per hour." Kensuke stated, "And the main engine could hopefully get up 600."

"Goddamn, that's a helluva jump in boost." he remarked, looking to see the front hangar doors. The wind was cool and salty, something he should have expected, yet it caught him off guard at that moment. He really was out of the loop since _then_… "So, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started."

"Yessir!" Mana called, walking up to the ship. The glass top opened to reveal the cockpit, which consisted of the front control seat, and several sets of passenger seats behind. She took the front, vehicle Shiro and Shinji took the next set and Kensuke in the back.

The cockpit shut, and Mana quickly got to work warming the system online. The controls came online, reading status and system indications as the disk engines began humming with. The disks glowed with blue outlines, raising the Prototype to a hover while the main engine began to come online.

Mana flipped another switch, and her control screen switched to the White Sun's command bridge. "Oh, Musashi!" She called sweetly. "I'm heading off to work, dear!"

"_Oh my God, you really are nutty, you know?"_ Musashi said, looking back towards her.

"What can I say, I'm just a joyful person."

"_I can only imagine how much of the joy you got from Ms. Makimani."_

"A lot, I'd say!" Shiro voiced behind her. Shinji rolled his eyes, laying back.

"_Well whatever you find joy in, just make sure you send some to Wille and 31 for us, will ya?"_ Touji walked up, pulling beside Musashi who sent him a glare. _"Until we can move closer and fight, we'll be hanging back for now."_

"_Yes, so for now-!"_ Musashi forced Touji back, telling him to go do something before returning. _"You'll be alone on this one. You already know the mission: Get in, take information, get out. Simple, on paper at least. Be careful."_

"Oh please, this is me we're talking about!" Mana remarked, cracking her fingers. "You dare to question my flying skills?"

"_I meant Shiro and Shinji, but yeah. Be careful too, Mana."_ Musashi said, smiling softly. _"White Sun out."_ With the screen flashed off, and the flight lights came online.

"Oh boy, I hope you know how to fly this Mana…" Kensuke said, hugging his computer case tightly.

"Just keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at all times and for God's sake keep that hand table in the upright position." She bemused, laying out the flight course. She smirked as the engine display ready 'READY.' "Time to go!"

She pressed the controls forward, realizing at the last second she wasn't piloting her TRIDENT! "Oh shit!" She cried out, feeling the Prototype jerk backwards instead. Luckily the ship's automatic systems kicked in, stopping it from hitting anything or anyone. She gulped, feeling the groups stares eying her down.

She chuckled nervously. "Uh hehe, so sorry…" She mumbled, switching the controls from inverted to manual. "Just, uh… yeah, you know… oops. Let's say we try that again, huh?"

"Yes, without the oops please?" Shinji asked, clutching his sword while Shiro grabbed the seat and Kensuke shook like crazy. "Just um…" He pointed forward. "That way."

With that, the Prototype roared forward with a mighty cry, sending the group screaming at the shock while Mana just laughed at the speed. "Yes, yes, yes, hell fucking yes!" She yelled excitedly, spinning the ship as it roared forward. "I am SO keeping this thing!"

"Please don't!" Kensuke cried out.

"I want one too, Kensuke!" Shiro yelled at him. "No-I NEED one of these things!"

"Oh my God! You're crazy!"

"I know, right?!"

* * *

**Arc De Triomphe, Old Paris**

The red city stood eerie, with what little life around existing only thanks to Wunder and her crew._ "All units, this is Wunder Command. The Paris Assault Fleet is ready and now descending to Point-0."_ Hyuga said over the comms.

"_Solid copy. All ships take to defensive position Epsilon-Omega-16. Advance from the rear, slowly. Gravity control, shift to AMRC System-10-98."_

"_Wire Flight System Initializing… All systems clear." _Voices rang in and out, all working to protect the center target- a tall, dark grey pillar with a red tint to the sides, leaning just barely towards the Arc De Triomphe. Slowly and steadily, Paris naval battleships, suspended in the air by industrial super wires, descended around the pillar in a protective shell._ "Old Paris skyline is currently clear at 360 degrees."_

"_No identified targets detected."_

"_Ground forces had confirmed, Category-6 Koaized surface."_

"_Ship coordinated verified, now arriving at the operation starting point."_ Steadily the Assault Fleet split apart, rotating and shifting to encircle and glide around the pillar, deck guns and air armament poised outward to reveal the company hidden.

Unit-08 was lowered above the large pillar, slowly tilting and flipping to lower a small landing craft atop the dark tower. It was a simple Altair-designed landing shuttle, stretched out in length for a small crew to work in. Gently the DSVR was set down, the landing gear locking in place as Unit-08 let go and rose up.

"_DSVR landed and locked onto Sealing Pillar-01. Oxygen density is at -3 CO2, tolerable. Occupation advised, if possible."_

"Understood commencing operation." Out of the DSVR, Ritsuko Akagi stepped out, dressed in a dark green "Anti-L Barrier Suit." In reality, the suits were designed very similar to the EVA Plugsuits, the only difference being in cosmetic design with white lines across the arms or legs and a mechanical helmet for breathing.

The faux-blonde breathed softly, glaring out into the red land. _I know you're out there, waiting for us…_ She said to herself, her lab coat flapping in the wind as the rest of the crew exited the shuttle. _But just what are you waiting for, Ikari? What are you hoping to gain without Shinji or Shiro, or Unit-13 even..?_

"16 years later… really does break my heart to see the City of Light like this…" She mumbled softly, gripping her command pad tightly. It was time to work. She turned, walking across the landing platforms outline. "The L-Density, as Kitakami said before is very high. Because of this, we'll only have about 720 seconds to complete Operation Restoration and activate Euro-NERV Sealing Pillar-01."

"720? Goddamn, that's a small window…" Hideki mumbled, glancing over to his companion- himself, , Kitakami, Hyuga, Maya, and another technician. "Can't help but wonder if we'll be recovered in that window or not."

"As long as we get an advantage over NERV or NEVEC, I don't care," Hyuga replied, typing rapidly into his computer. Because they didn't have any real means of connecting into the Sealing Pillars systems, they had to rely on old-school USB connections. Luckily, as if by fate, the connector ports all still worked for the most, so they had the means to activate it all.

Kitakami groaned, stepping down the ladder in her dark purple Anti-L Barrier Suit. "I honestly would prefer if these were only worn by the pilots," She said, looking over her body shamefully. "It brings out all… my curves, you know?"

"_Aww, but Kitakami!"_ Mari's voice whined through the comms. _"I thought you were all about showing off to all the boys on the ship~"_

"L-Lieutenant!" She squeaked, getting snickers from the others. Well, mostly everyone.

"Shut up and get to work." Maya ordered, typing away furiously at her computer. As she continued, another Evangelion lowered with a soft humming. "We have more important things to-"

"_**God Ibuki, do you EVER show any other emotion other than hate?"**_ Prodigium's voice came from the landing Unit-05, lowering its Sankaku lance. Compared to before, Unit-07 was rearmed to fix the mission with a Heurtebize Flight System. It consisted of long, forward-facing curved wings that sat on the EVA's back, built with vents like exhausts and propeller-like thrusters on both wings.

"Oh shut up, Prod!" Maya snapped. "Like your any better with emotions."

"_**Yeah, well at least I know I have them compared to some people,"**_ He stated, flexing his fingers across the Entry Plug controls. _**"You know.. Certain brown-haired women… dressed in a yellow suit… typing like a psycho hacker."**_

"God I hate you."

"_**Oh, you shut up! Come back when you develop some actual human emotions!"**_

"Enough, focus on the job!" Ritsuko stated, getting them back into gear. Kitakami connected her system to the Sealing Pillar, fixing in command lines and sequences to help disarm the first security system line.

"So we're still on the right path? We'll be able to activate the Anti-L System?" Maya questioned.

"If everything goes smoothly, all we'll need is to make it to Stage-4," Hideki replied, sending a look to the message on the panel top, written in blood. "And all of this thanks to our predecessor."

The message was simple: 'I leave the rest in your hands.'

It was enough to motivate them, at least Maya believed it was. _Your wish is our command. We will perpetuate it into saving this city,_ she prayed silently. "Good, let's get to work." She ordered. The crew continued, finally connecting and initializing the main decryption key.

* * *

**Old France beachline**

The Prototype continued through the skyline, the distant frame of Wunder appearing. "There it is," Mana called, gliding the vessel closer to the ocean. "Wille's AAA Wunder, dead ahead! You sure you still want to do this?"

"We came this far, no point in going back." Shiro nodded sternly. "Do what you must, Mana."

"Alright, this is nuts… I love it!" She exclaimed, flipping another control switch. The engines pulsed stronger, the main cell flaring with fury as the white hover jet rocketed forward. "And into the fire, we go!"

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Silently the warships hovered about, eying the skies as Unit-05 eyed the ground around them. The DSVR crew meanwhile worked continuously around the clock, making finally to the 4th decryption cluster after the first 30 seconds. All of a sudden, Kitakami's radar flashed and Unit-05 gave a deep growl. _"DSVR Crew, this is Wunder! We're detecting multiple energy signatures en route!"_

"We see it too!" Kitakami called out, looking towards the distant approaching lights. "They're coming just as we anticipated!"

"_Mark.44A's moving in a front line formation!"_

"_Damn, it really is Section-31. Aoba, Koji- redirect power towards the Flight Systems and artillery cannons, now!" _Katsuragi's voice rang out.

"Target's identified: Custom NERV 44A Aerial-Type unit, 4 o'clock high!" Sure enough, it was NERV's military arsenal, Section-31. Like that of the standard Evangelion model, the armor color was a dark red and black, spread out in a flying position across a metal frame. The arms and legs were swapped out, replaced with sets of spinning pylons that rotated to produce lift. Where the head one sat were now 2 Angel Masks, the "front" of the unit wielding a Spear of Longinus replica blade.

Luckily for WILLE, they were easy to handle against an Evangelion. "Mari, you and Prodigium intercept them and hold the air combat away from us," Ritsuko ordered, glaring at the distant units. "Give us 560 seconds."

"_**Already on it/**__ Roger that!__**"**_ The EVA pilots replied, with Unit-05 roaring forward. Unit-08's arms shifted and cracked open, revealing hidden Anti-A.T wrist cannons within. _"I'll do you the honor of taking down those 44A's and-"_

"_**Too late, I'm already fighting them."**_ Prodigium deadpanned, hacking and slashing into the first few that grew close to it. Whichever ones tried to fly around were quickly shot down by the Anti-A.T cannons, hidden within the shoulder pylons. _**"You should really get out there, Mari. They have all sorts of experimental weapons in the works…"**_

"_Are you serious?! No fair!" _Mari called, feeling her EVA begin to rise. _"Okay Nagara, baby. My Cable Flights in your hands!"_ In a flash her Unit skyrocketed into the sky, motioning with ballet-like movements in the winds as another way of 44A's grew close. _"Alright test time's up, let's do this!"_

"_LEEERRROOOYYY JJJEEENNNKKKIIINNNSSS!"_ She screamed, firing every barrage she could at the upcoming targets. The Mk.44A's exploded in a line of stars and Angel core energy, which was added on as Unit-05 flew low and high, slashing and kicking whatever gunned at it.

Akagi watched as the battle continued afar, feeling the ground around the tower shake. She narrowed her eyes. "Asuka, handle the Mk.21's please." She ordered.

"_Understood."_ Below on the ground, dark red EVA Mk.21 Crawler-Type units marched forward, disguised by the maroon landscape. Compared to the Mk.44A's, the Mk.21's were smaller and designed on a spider-like basis. Deep red camouflage color covered their frame, while the arms and legs bent to allow the clawed hands to grasp and gouge at the floor. The heads were humanoid in design, covered by Angel masks with large Longinus replica blades locked into the shifted shoulder blades.

They crawled forward, followed by close military troopers clothes and oddly shirtless, each one whispering or giggled madly as they drew close. All of a sudden, one of the troopers shrieked "Incoming!" and a barrage of explosions followed suite.

Before the Crawler unit stood a tank battalion, better yet the WILLE European Battalion. Most of the tanks were large, military-grade Challenger-02 tanks. Compared to most, the tanks were designed with twin cannons with large ramming steel blades on the front. The head tank was large compared to the others, about the width of two tanks put together with a… unique design.

It was built with a rectangular head front with a folded front face, a set of large "arms" which were long tread runners below, and a large sloped shaped red which was more or less a large grille with rocket booster under the armor frame and a large missile launcher on the top.

"Well, that was easy." The pilot stated, leaning back. He looked down to the commander of the Battalion. "Captain Shikinami, the defensive line is set and ready."

"Good. Bring Shagohod forward," Asuka ordered, climbing up into the cockpit. The control center wasn't much as it consisted of three pilots, but Asuka's command sat at the far back of the 'head' unit. "Let's burn these 31 fuckers alive."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

* * *

**AAA Wunder, Old Paris**

"Captain, Unit's 5 and 8 have engaged the first Mark.44A wave. Captain Shikinami reports that Section-31 is being handled on the surface." Aoba reported.

Katsuragi nodded. "Good, keep us posted and look out for anything that might be-"

"Incoming!" Sumire yelled lately, a strong burst explosion crackling beside the Wunder bridge. The ship shook at the attack, and continuously a barrage of bullets and missiles raced towards Wunder.

"What the hell?!" Koji cried out, looking to the front screens as the proximity alarms blared. "What was that?!"

"Aoba, get me visual!" Katsuragi snapped. The camera adjusted, revealing a large military air fleet of the sorts. Almost as if to mock Wunder, the fleet consisted of 3 large Gunboats, 4 Assault Cruisers, 5 Destroyers, 2 Combat ships and distant command Battleship at the rear. Each ship was designed and colored with red and black colors, and the Neo-NERV sigil carved into their hulls.

"It's Section-31! They're trying to take us down!" Aoba stated.

"Oh, thank you for telling me the obvious Aoba!" Katsuragi growled sarcastically. "Artillery center, fire all main cannons!"

"_Yes, ma'am!"_ In an instant, Wunder's front cannons began railing hell back at the oncoming invasion, trying desperately to hold them off. Worst of all, Wunder couldn't activate the A.T Field thanks to the Flight System, so they were stuck in a now endless battle of explosions.

The WILLE fleet around the large vessel began to fire as well, autonomous cannons fired and bursting bullet barrages at the fleet. Airships and jets alike rushed by, roaring through the clouds and sky as Wunder and the fleet shot them down. Mark.44A's and dark-colored gunships flew by, exploding or sending explosions out their turrets as they flew by.

And sure enough, a familiar white and black jet flew through the explosions. "Holy shit, 31's really giving them hell!" Mana gasped, watching the sky burn with fire and explosions.

"Then let's just hope we'll be off by the time they're done fighting," Shiro commented, watching Wunder's frame fire whatever weapons it could at the Fleet. "Get us to the communications tower, we'll get in from there!"

"Right!" The Prototype tossed and turned in the wind, luckily not running into anything as it gunned close as possible to Wunder's rear communications tower. It was untouched luckily, and as they came to the tower, the crew discovered that the emergency hatch was luckily unexposed to any sort of visual feed. "Alright, everyone off!"

The belly of the Prototype opened to reveal an energy cannon, which quickly fired a burst of energy that burned the door open. The cockpit opened, and quickly Shiro jumped off onto the tower side. "Mana, get outta here!" Shiro ordered, helping pull Shinji and Kensuke into the Wunder. "Get back to White Sun and wait for the signal!"

"You got it, boss," Mana replied, turning the Prototype. "I'll contact you when you're ready!" With the jet raced away, leaving the group to press on into the warship fortress.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_

SEELE/A.I/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 17: Battle of Old Paris**

**S-31 Command Ship Vindication, Old Paris**

The Command Battleship of Section-31's Assault Fleet, The Vindicator, was large in comparison to the rest of the fleet. It was built with a dark grey, black color scheme and seemed made up only of triangles and sharp corners. The bridge sat up front, atop a triangular body that extended to the back to form the diamond-like body.

Large triangular plates covered the top and lower corners of the center, which raised to show off the large energy cannon atop. The rear of the ship formed into a box of engine cells, humming loudly as the airship pushed forward.

The command bridge was open to and protected only by glass, with several control floors. The first was where the bridge crew piloted and maintained the ship, the top floor was where the commanders and military "officials" spoke about the battle plan. But the center was where Cypher sat, overseeing the battle.

Though for a commander, he didn't wear anything militaristic. He was a light blonde with long, messy hair fixed into a ponytail and dark red eyes, dressed in a light grey bomber jacket with a red tiger camouflage shirt below, black shorts, matching leggings and air force boots. He smirked. "This seems almost too easy," he bemused, his almost lay-back voice cool and collective as he did. "Soon, Wunder will fall. And the rest, well… it's only a matter of time."

"_We must always show our superior strength, Cypher."_ The voice of Sylux made the blonde growled in irritants. He always had a way of getting under his skin too easily. _"Anything else is just a sign of weakness…"_

"Weakness? I'm sorry, did you just say 'weakness'?" Cypher questioned. "If I recall it was YOUR company that stood by and let WILLE and NEVEC tear down Neo-NERV during Fourth Impact. That alone tells me you're too weak to stand up and fight these dogs. While my company, RIVR, is far more than ready to take them."

"_..."_ No reply. Now that made Cypher smile a bit more.

"Commander!" A voice called, and the blonde leaned forward to see the officer who called. "We're detecting a strong S2 Engine signature coming off Wunder. Energy reading confirms it's the same signal from 15 years ago!"

"Well, well this day just got ten times brighter!" Cypher grinned, leaning forward. "Prepare my Unit-16, deploy Mark.05A's as well! I want that signal located, and once it is, destroy it! If it means dragging that whore Misato's ship out the sky, do it. We'll crush them under their symbol of hope. That'll show the UN not to screw with us, or better yet, _me."_

* * *

**WILLE AAA Wunder, Old Paris**

Wunder shook all around the three in the dark, finally cleared by the glowing lines of the L-Barrier and Skull Plugsuits. "Okay, so were! Where to?" Shiro whispered to Shinji.

"We need to find an elevator that can get us to the tram system. From there we make our way to the Interrogation deck," Shinji explained, rubbing his head for a moment. "If the prison cells are like my… previous stay, there should be a data terminal in them."

"As bad as it is to head to the prison cells of this ship, it's a solid start.," Shiro said, shaking his head and raising his SOCOM. "Let's get to it then!" Quietly the trio exited the emergency hatch, traveling through the dark corridors of Wunder's comm tower. The warship trembled again as men and women rushed by, oblivious to the hiding men as they yelled and barked orders at one another.

"Seems like everyone's in a hurry to fight Section-31," Kensuke muttered. Because Wunder had still been working on repairs after Near-Fourth Impact, most of the new equipment was still in its cargo boxes, making perfect cover whenever anyone passed by.

"What do ya know, WILLE isn't so high and mighty after all," Shiro mumbled. He took a step forward, crouching low as he moved for the pair to follow.

Shinji quickly followed, guiding Kensuke along the way. "I can only guess after Unit-02 was lost that this happened." He pondered quietly. "But there's no way Asuka wouldn't be out there, fighting them and-"

Suddenly a sharp pain clashed into Shinji's head, making him gasp and grasp his head. "Shinji?" Shiro called, looking at him with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, I-I'm fine." He said, rubbing his temple. Whatever he was hit with was painful, and very sudden too._ What the hell was that? Where did it come from?_ He questioned. _Well, whatever it was it's gone… That was weird... _"C'mon, let's get to the main elevator."

They pressed on, traveling around the tower loop, passing a bulkhead door when it suddenly opened. "Shit, get back-!" Shiro gasped as a soldier stepped into the hall. Just as Shinji recalled, the soldier was decked in dark black colors with a blue bandana wrapped around his left arm.

He stepped out, shutting the door to see the group crouching from behind it. "Hey, wait a minute! You're not part of the-!" The soldier cut himself off as soon as he and Shinji made eye contact. His rifle immediately shot out. "_**You**_!"

"No, not Shinji!" Shiro yelled, swatting the gun aside. The soldier rushed at his knife, which did little as Shiro tackled him with a battle cry. They lunged at one another, grunting and punching loud enough to get the attention of 3 others from the room. "Crap!"

"Holy shit, it's Ikari!" The 2nd soldier yelled.

"Which one?!" another questioned

Shiro punched back the 1st soldier, grabbing his rifle. "Both of them!" he yelled, running forward as the 2nd sprang forward. Kensuke jumped back out of fear while Shinji, in front of him, brought up his blade when the other two came up."Shinji, don't let them get near Kensuke!"

"Easier said than done!" Shinji yelled, swinging his sword like a bat. It worked for one soldier, sending him to the floor while the other quickly ducked down and swung his rifle up. The scabbard and rifle sparked as Shinji stumbled back, allowing the Specialist to punch the youth's stomach. Shinji grunted, slamming the sword handle onto the man's back and kicking his knee up at the same time. "Stay back!"

"Sure, kid!" the soldier growled, picking up Shinji and body slamming him into the wall. Shinji gasped at the back, clutching his side as the soldier pulled out a combat knife. He swung at Shinji, catching metal as the pilot ducked away. "Stay still, you world killer!"

"You're looking for NERV in that area, buddy!" Shinji snapped, ducking and swiping his sword up. The scabbard painfully hit the man's face, sliding off fully as he swung a fist, punching Shinji and sending him to the floor.

Shiro meanwhile was handling the first pair, dodging one who seemed to enjoy knife cutting as he swiped relentlessly. Finally, Shiro had enough, raising both his blade and the rifle, he painfully slammed both between the man's head.

A painful crack filled the air as the soldier fell to the floor, unconscious and in agony as the other raised his rifle. "Don't move, I'll shoot!" He yelled, instinctively firing. Shiro ducked the first one, but another shot grazed his arm, making him wince. "I said stay back!"

"After you _shot_ me!" Shiro growled, running up and smacking the rifle down. He swung his scabbard, knocking the man down. He fell with a groan and bloodied nose, allowing the older sibling to turn in time to be slammed to the ground. "Shit!"

It was the soldier from before, a dark look in his eyes. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy ripping you apart traitor-!" He was cut off by the sound of flesh tearing, and metal grinding across metal. He gaped, letting blood all from his lips as he looked at the blade embedded in his side. "W-What… You… son of a-"

He was cut short as Shinji pulled the blade back, slamming the handle onto the man's head. He fell to the floor, groaning as he breathed. Shinji breathed over his body, his katana saturated in blood.

"Shinji…," Shiro said softly, pulling himself off as Shinji stood frozen still. He walked up slowly, extending his hand slowly. "Hey, hey it's okay…. Shinji, hey!"

His brother snapped out of his trance for a moment, blinking as reality came to him. He stood there for a moment, huffing and taking a breath before he gave a slight chuckle. "See… S-See what I s-said…?" He sputtered, gulping and gesturing to the downed soldiers. "This is… the type of people Misato works with…"

Shiro gave him a shock, surprised look before he nodded softly. "Y-Yeah… Yep! This seems like the kind of people Misato would hire." He replied.

Shinji shook his head. "You have no idea," he replied, grabbing his scabbard. He quickly sheathed the katana, not wanting to stare at the blood any longer as the tower shook again. "W-we better get going... I don't want to be here any longer."

"Yeah, agreed."

After that, the group finally found their target- a thin metal door with large glass windows to see through. "Looks like we found it," Kensuke said, unlocking the door. The door groaned and a small alarm blared before it split apart, revealing the familiar glass-walled elevator.

"Yeah, now we just have to figure out how it works and how to get to Interrogation," Shiro said, switching them from Comm Tower 3 to Tram Station Lima. The group descended further into the battling warship, the dark walls they passed doing nothing to soothe Shinji's increasing dread.

"Okay….. O-Okay." Shinji sputtered out, something that didn't go unnoticed to his friend and brother.

"Are you okay?" Shiro asked, turning to him. "After what just happened, I didn't know if you wanted to-"

"It-It's fine! I just… I have to get used to seeing blood and… stuff, you know…" Shinji mumbled, inhaling deeply. "Once we get to the tram, there… hopefully should be a means to getting to the Interrogation Block."

Shiro nodded. "Let's just hope we survive long enough to get there…" He said grimly.

* * *

**Arc De Triomphe, Old Paris**

Outside, things were as hectic as could be- Unit-08 and 07 were tearing through the Mark.44A's while Asuka's battalion tore down another wave of Mark.21's. "Jesus, how many are there?" Asuka questioned, holding on as Sahgohod drilled into the body of a downed EVA drone.

"_**Too damn many,"**_ Prodigium growled, his EVA grabbing a Mk.44A and swinging it as the final row of drones. They exploded in mismatching cross-shaped lights, fading away as Unit-05 and 08 swung around the remaining Drones. _**"This luckily hasn't gotten out of hand yet."**_

"Unit-05, you and 08 have two more waves of 44A's heading for you!" Kitakami yelled, looking to the distant battle.

"Ignore the fighting! Stay on target!" Maya snapped, pondering silently as they worked. This was a much larger force than they anticipated, and from the explosion sounds above, it appeared as though 31 was waiting for them. Not good... "Time?"

"420 seconds and counting!"

"It's working, but slowly Chief! It's like working on old school, 8-bit PCs." Hideki answered.

"What'd you expect?" Hyuga persisted. "It's always been an enigma this or long riddle codex that for Eva. Controlling things with human hands just isn't easy like before…" He continued, feeling the Sealing Pillar tremble slightly as he looked to Maya. "Stage-04 complete, late by 5 seconds!"

"Stay calm, don't panic. Just hurry." Maya replied softly, letting her lighter side slip out to control their worries.

It worked luckily. "Yes, ma'am!" all three of them replied.

Back with Unit-05 and 08, the fight was going fairly quickly. "I need a guiding adjustment of 20, Nagara! Tilt's just fine, just need to keep up speed with the chrome dome over yonder!" Mari called, snickering from her Entry Plug.

"_Understood…!"_

"_**Kiss my ass, shitty glasses!"**_ Prodigium growled, ramming his Sankaku into a pair of drones. They crackled and twitched as their body hummed with energy, which was enough of a sign to let them go. _**"Here, take these two for me!"**_

"Oh no, I don't want them!" Mari retorted, kicking them to an incoming group of Mk.44A's. They exploded rightfully so, along with a good dozen or so surrounding them. The wrist cannons continued to rain hell down as the drones dispersed, encircling the pair. "Shit, time to kick it into high gear!"

"_**You've been fighting this whole time and you weren't in high gear? That's just cruel."**_ Prodigium called, hovering just beside Unit-08. _**"A hundred fake-EVA's against two real EVA's?"**_

"They do say small flocks drive away from the coming hawk…" Mari mumbled, checking her Anti-A.T Rounds. She groaned, rubbing her temple softly. "Damn, out of ammo too."

"Unit-05 and 08 are surrounded!" Kitakami yelled out. "And we've only 360 seconds left!"

"Dammit!" Hyuga cried out, looking at Maya. "I can't get us past Stage-05."

Maya glowered. "Try _everything._ Keep digging!" She ordered.

"If we do, we won't have enough time to replace the data!" Hideki stated.

"Then add more bypass!"

"But Chief we don't have enough time, it's impossible!"

Maya's glare darkened as she typed furiously now. "We made it this far! Nothing is impossible!" She snapped. "So quit your whining! Christ, this is why I have young guys…"

"_**Alright, then- follow my lead!"**_ Unit-05 called, swinging the Sankaku. It clashed with Mk.44A's Longinus blade's, clicking onto one as Unit-08 tugged itself up to avoid getting caught.

"Ah, improvising. I love it!" Mari called, dropping her pink EVA downward. She grabbed onto the flying Sankaku, kicking any and every Drone which lunged forward. Unit-05's A.T cannons fired off rounds, finishing off the kicked back Unit's as they danced in the air. _"_Alright, your turn Pro!"

"_**Don't call me Pro!"**_ Unit-05 froze, letting gravity and Unit-08 pull it around with a powerful swing. The dark silver EVA's turbine pack roared, bringing it flying twice as fast as the wings and legs crashed and burned through the blue Units. Finally, the turbine pack's fuel ran dry, and Prodigium cursed. _**"Fucking shit, dude!"**_

With a painful growl, Unit-05 ripped the turbine off, swinging it like a blade at the Mark.44A's as they suddenly backed off. _**"Oh come one, you fucking pansy's!"**_ The humanoid roared from inside his falling EVA. _**"We were just getting to the best part!"**_

"Oh, look! Here they come!" Mari exclaimed, watching Mark.44A's rush all at once at them. In a flash, she pulled Unit-05 into a back hug, raising its legs alongside the dark EVA. "Get ready, chrome dome!"

"_**Oh, this is just great! Now they'll think we're lovers or something!"**_ Prodigium snarled, raising Sankaku and the turbine pack. As soon as the first Mark.44A flew forward, Unit-05 slammed the weapons into its aerial figure and held it like a shield. And just in time too as the Mark.044A's built-up into a gigantic pile of meshed together, now stuck, EVA drones. _**"You ready Blind-Eyes?"**_

"Those idiots! C'mon, let's do this!" She yelled, pulling them back. Both yelled triumphantly as they flew forward, kicking the ball of Mark.44A's downward to the city. They crashed painfully, flying like debris as they exploded and decimated the oncoming Mark.21's and Section-31 soldiers."That's gotta suck."

"_**No regrets."**_ Prodigium retorted, sitting back as his helmet flashed another proximity alarm. "_**Oh my… Are you fucking kidding?"**_

'DANGER,'

'CAMOUFLAGE COCOON MATERIALIZING.

CONTENT DATA N/A - ANALYSIS ONGOING…'

"Oh look, now they've fallen another peg. Fake luring Angels?"Mari called out, fixing her spectacles with a dull stare. She looked out in the distance, seeing large white hexagon shields begin to unveil and form together to make a large wall. "That's so lame…!"

"_**No shit,"**_ Prodigium said, letting go of Unit-08 as she dropped him off. The Sankaku slammed down, creating a painful tremor as Section-31 troops and Mk.21's moved… back? _**"Something's not right here…"**_

"Lookout, here comes the cavalry!" Kitakami called, her radar flaring vivid as the white wall exploded. From out of the wall came a giant drill-like platform, followed by an army of drones.

The first noticeable thing was the army coming from behind- they were composed of two EVA Mark.04 torsos and legs, their upper body replaced by rounded, cylinder-shaped sections covered by exhaust holes. They were connected at the "shoulder" by a center box generator, extending to a pointed-energy emitter.

But it was the front one, leading the charge, that drew the most attention.

The upper bodies of four Mk.04 EVA's were attached to something resembling a large, cylinder-designed drill platform. Their bodies were clones of Unit-03 and 04's design, with military green, white, black and red colors across their tops. From the waist below, however, their bodies had been replaced by sphere-shaped sockets that connected to the centerpiece.

The center was a "small" cylinder connecting to a lower sphere covered in purple glowing holes, whereas the top, connected by a bundle of tubes and cored to a gigantic power feeding array which was held up by the Mark.04's. It was a large funnel with an outlining ring, covered by outward pointed EVA shoulder pylons

Finally on the front of the funnel was a large sphere, connected to the long Positron Cannon. It was covered by a pair of curving, semicircular panels with a large purple armored wire wrapped around the Cannon and feeding into the energy funnel.

The EVA platform hovered forward for the most, supported by four large drill-like apparatus tendrils that pulled into the Earth and tugged the gigantic machine forward, with a white halo-like ring forming a handrail for the EVA torsos.

Ritsuko tsked, glaring lack at the white, beak-masked Mark.04 'Angel' heads. _**"Dr. Akagi, is that what I think it is?"**_ Prodigium questioned.

"Indeed it is; another forbidden EVA military design scrapped by the Vatican Treaty..." She explained. "An impressive combination to be sure- A Ground-Type Mk.4444C with a Positron Cannon, and a platoon of Mk.44B's configured to supply power." She hummed softly, glancing at the retreating forces as she continued. "It would seem that the Commander of Section-31 is testing our resolve."

"_**I think I have enough human 'resolve' to speak for the entirety of WILLE,"**_ Prodigium growled, sending his EVA forward. _**"Whatever the case, I won't dying to something so stupid looking!"**_

Prodigium raised his lance, ready to cut down the forward cannon and he nearly would have made, too. That is, had it not for one of the drill tendrils snatching Unit-05's waist and flinging the EVA back. _"Now, now children!"_ A voice called from above, revealed to be from an Evangelion with large mechanical wings. _"No need to be so critical about our work, you know?"_

The giant fell to the floor, its wings retracting into the shoulders to reveal a full body Mk.04 EVA. It was completely white save for the red torso piece, black shoulder pylons and arms, pointed knee blades, and claw-shaped feet. In its hand was a large dual-blade Heavy Spear, sharp to the touch. _"We're still in the building phase…"_ The pilot said, raising the sharp-pointed, eyeless EVA head.

Mari snickered."So this is another Mark.04, I presume?" She asked, quietly scanning the winged EVA.

"_I prefer you to call it the official name- Unit-16,"_ Cypher called, fixing his jacket collar from inside the Entry Plug. His visor read that the Unit-08 was scanning him-not that it would do good, most of their systems were covered by 666 Firewalls. _"But then again, I doubt you mouth-sucking EU losers would care for that."_

"_**Rgh, self-righteous motherfucker..."**_ Prodigium snarled out.

"_So I've been told. Now, if you'll excuse us we have an Installation to destroy."_ Unit-16 took a stance, raising its Heavy Spear. _"So please, get out the way, rip-off."_

"_**You're one to talk, kid."**_ Prodigium rushed forward, swinging the turbine and long spear forward.

* * *

**Quarantine Deck, WILLE AAA Wunder**

"Sounds like hell out there…" Kensuke said, feeling the Wunder tremble. "To think, Section-31 had its own Assault Fleet."

"Well, can't say I didn't expect it… Just didn't imagine it would _fly_…" Shiro bemused, watching the tram car pass by more areas of the were so many places to explore, so many areas they could take interest in. But they couldn't. Not now, while Wunder would be distracted for only so long.

Finally, they arrived. Shinji gulped the moment he saw the corridor; that long hallway drenched in an ominous glow, with steel submarine-designed doors covering every inch of it. He glanced down at his gloved arm- nothing still. That was… something he was grateful for. "Okay… One of these rooms should do…" he mumbled, gesturing around. "Try any of the doors, see if they open."

Shiro nodded. "You take that side, I'll take this one." He ordered, grabbing a wheel handle. They began pulling and turning the large doors, slowly making their way down the lines with little luck. Some would budge but most of the time they were stuck thanks to the lock system. "Can't you do anything about this, Kensuke?"

"Hey, you're lucky enough as it is I'm able to distract the camera feed," Kensuke argued, trying on his computer case. "But aside from small things like cameras, I don't have access to ship doors. That's on an entirely different command system, no doubt connected to the bridge."

"Great…" Shinji moaned, trying another door. This one opened to his surprise, and his heart clenched with who he saw inside. "Rei?!"

Shiro's head snapped to attention and Kensuku jumped up out of shock (and slight fear) at the name. "Wait, what?" Shiro asked, walking up. Sure enough, sitting behind the glass wall of the interrogation cell was Rei Ayanami. Or rather, Rei-Q as he recalled Rei-2 was still inside Unit-01. "Holy…"

"Rei." Shinji breathed, stepping in. As soon as he did, the room came to life revealed it was just as he recalled it- an emergency phone by the door, a table connecting to a long wall mounted table across the glass window, and another emergency phone connected to a built-in computer terminal on the opposite wall.

"Quick, no time to waste!" Shiro ordered Kensuke, who quickly got to work connecting to the ship systems. As he did this, Shiro walked up to Shinji who was staring at Rei-Q from behind the glass. "Shinji…?"

"I can't believe she's still alive…." Shinji whispered, a look of relief and worry in his eyes.

"You know her, I assume?"

"Yeah, she was the pilot of the Mark.09- the yellow Unit-00 model." he clarified, looking around the table. His eyes wandered about before he found a small console area. "There!" he pressed a button, causing Rei to look up a bit. "R-Rei?"

As soon as he spoke, Rei looked up with a gasp. She blinked, leaning closer to see Shinji. "Shin-Pilot Ikari…" She stated softly. "You are alive, after the Fourth Impact event?"

"Yes, I am! It's me." He said with a smile. "But what about you, why are you here on Wunder?"

"Captain Katsuragi captured me when Evangelion Mark.09 was destroyed during the Fourth Impact event. Once I was found, I was taken prisoner aboard here, and kept under surveillance for interrogation."

"I'm guessing they haven't had any with you, huh?" Shiro mumbled softly.

Rei looked to Shiro for a moment, her eyes just slightly opening more before she replied, "Yes. Captain Katsuragi has failed numerous times to 'break me' as she described the interrogation process."

"Yeah, that sadly sounds like Katsuragi…" Shinji said with a huff. "I'm surprised you haven't broken out here yet."

"I see no reason to," Rei answered.

"Because you haven't been ordered to?" Her silence was enough of an answer. Shinji sighed, putting a hand to the window. "Rei, you can't be serious about this. You can't stay here, you know WILLE will kill you."

"I know this. However, I don't see any point in answering their questions as well." Rei said, earning confused looks from the group. "If I am to keep silent, I will die. If I answer their questions, I will die. If I try to escape, I will die. Even if I return to Commander Ikari, I will die."

"So you have nowhere to go. That's no excuse to just give up!"

"I am a mere clone of the real Rei Ayanami. A clone to Yui Ikari. I am nothing. My existence is only meant to pilot Evangelion. I have no other reason to fight, or continue fighting."

"I don't believe that, and I don't think you do either!"

"And how would you know what I want?"

"Because you're _Rei,_" Shiro said, gaining their attention. He stepped forward, looking at Rei-Q "I may not know about you and my brother's relationship, but I _do_ know this- You're an exact replica of the Rei Ayanami Shinji and I knew before all this. Before Third Impact. You feel as though there's no reason to do anything but pilot EVA, no obligation to live a normal life."

"But I also know there's a part of you that _wants_ that. A part that wants to live past this, to understand those emotions you never got to see. The emotions you haven't been able to see." He continued. "You can't just sit here and tell us that there's no reason to continue- there has to be something!"

"Such as…?" She asked softly, though there a hint… a faint hint of sharpness in her voice. "There is nothing to live for. WILLE will continue fighting until your group and NERV are destroyed. NERV will not stop until Final Impact has been initiated, killing everything on this planet. And NEVEC…" She trailed for a moment as if trying to find the right words. "NEVEC is no different. They may fight for peace and humanity's survival, but they still rely on Evangelion."

"There's no denying we've come to using Evangelion- it's a fact we use them. But we don't use Evangelions to destroy cities, we use them to protect those in need!" He argued.

"Did NERV not once fall under that belief?" Rei questioned, making Shiro silent. "Look what befell them in Third Impact."

Shiro went silent, looking down. He couldn't fault her, she was right! NERV and NEVEC, hell even WILLE they all had the same goal in mind- protecting humanity. But deep down, he knew that while NEVEC showed its true colors to the world, WILLE and NERV had very different obligations to their causes.

"I can't say you're wrong… It's clear that we look like NERV and WILLE on the outside. But I swear to you, NEVEC's intentions have always been made to defend humanity from people like Misato, or people Gendo and SEELE!" Shiro stated firmly. "Besides, I have no reason to doubt that-"

All of a sudden, the Wunder shook, this time more violent than before. Rei cried out as she was sent to the far wall, while the group on the opposing side was slammed into the walling. "What the hell was that?!" Shinji yelled out, grabbing at the table as emergency alarms began blaring through the Quarantine Deck.

* * *

**Arc De Triomphe, 2 Minutes Earlier**

"Dammit, it's no use!" Hyuga grunted, slamming his fist into the Sealing Pillar they worked. "It's like Stage-05 is being reinforced or cut off from our connections!"

"Keep trying!" Maya snapped, ignoring the sound of rockets being launched and the ground trembling. In the distance Unit-08 and 05 were fending off the newly arrived Unit-16, trying to get past it and to the activating Mk.4444C. Sadly, they weren't getting far as the NERV EVA was easily holding back Unit-05, allowing Unit-08 to fend itself against the distant Section-31 forces.

"God, just stay down!" Mari yelled out, running at Unit-16 with the remains of an Mk.21 in her EVA's hands. The pink giant raised the Crawler's body, preparing to slam it down on the white giant.

However, Cypher easily noticed the shadow and swung Unit-05 around, crashing it into Unit-08. _"You first!"_ he called, sending the pair flying down as the Mark.44B's came to a halt behind the gargantuan energy weapon. _"Finally!"_ Unit-16 quickly unveiled its wings once more, sending gusts of winds all around as it took to the air. _"Prepare to fire!"_

The Mk.44B's generators began humming loudly, their inner working conductors spinning shaking strong enough to make the 'EVA' bodies tremble. "I'm detecting a rise in high energy! It's coming from the 44B's!" Kitakami yelled out.

"Damn!" Akaki cursed, looking to the defense fleet. "All ships, defensive measure Delta! Prepare for impact and EM pulse!"

At her command, the Paris Assault Fleet began to turn and spin, shifting in front of the Sealing Pillar to form a shield of ships. The 6 battleships stood on guard, their reinforced plating facing the now warming Positron Cannon. "The 4444C is in firing position!" The doctor stated, watching the platform raise itself with the drill-tendrils.

In the distance, the 4444C arose to match the ship shields level, creating bright halo rings which formed beside the Positron Cannon. More and more did the 44B's shake as if about to explode with energy. "Energy increase coming from the 44B's, ultra-high tension system activating!" Kitakami exclaimed. "It's about to fire!"

"Keep working… and brace!" Maya yelled, ducking down along with the others as the 4444C's energy sphere opened below the body. Blue lights flashed from within as the halo rings pulsed a deep purple, glowing and spinning faster as the 44B's revealed their power units, shifting open.

"_**Dammit, we gotta stop this!"**_ Prodigium yelled, pulling his EVA up and running forward. He only got halfway there as the 4444C's tendril shot out, grabbing at his EVA and holding him away. It twisted and clenched around the dark mech, spending sparks and metal groans out from under its grasp as the humanoid screamed in pain. _**"Augh, god-fucking-fuck!"**_

"_Ha, fools."_ Cypher taunted from above, smiling as he saw the failed attempt go down. _"Hurry up and fire, wipe the damn Pillar off Earth!"_

"Not yet!" Another voice called. Jumping passed the down Unit-05, Mari gave a battle cry and charged forward, right at the 4444C platform. Unit-08 jumped at the last second, crashing with the A.T Field. The Mark.04's cried out at the sudden attack, unable to fight as Unit-08 tore past the Field and quickly lunged at the long cannon. "This looks important to you! Allow me to assist!"

With a painful grunt, and the sound of metal grinding from Unit-08, the EVA began forcing the Positron Cannon upward, pointing it now at the Section-31 fleet. Cypher's eyes widened and he jutted downward with a scream, _"No, wait! Stop, you damn fools! Don't fire!"_

Too late.

In a flash, arcs of pure energy shot from the 44B's and into the 4444C's energy sphere, which rocketed and flared brightly with raw power. As if a mock of the old Operation Yamashia, the bodies of the Mark.04's slouched forward suddenly, their 'eyes' focusing with cross-star lights.

Unit-16 barely had time to kick the Cannon downward as it fired. The Cannon fired a vivid beam of power, sending Unit-08 and 16 flying back as it cut through the sky in a flash of light and burned anything in its path.

* * *

**Entry Plug Command Bridge, AAA Wunder**

"Brace! Brace! Brace for impact!" Katsuragi yelled, gripping the command railing as the beam hit. The wing of the flagship exploded violently, sending a chain-reaction of explosions all across the wing and lower hull. Wunder screamed like a pained animal at its wing was burned apart, the melting and falling metal sliding off as the Section-31 Fleet continued their assault.

Sparks flew all around the bridge as the large ship shook, struggling to fight back from the onslaught. "Rgh, status!" Katsuragi barked.

"We've lost flight stability!" Sumire cried out, struggling to lean the Wunder back up. "I've lost all connections to the left-wing!"

"Damage control isn't responding!" Shigeru reported. "I'll try raising whoever I can from here to the engine deck!"

"I'm reducing main engine power, redirecting to wing stabilizers!" Koji yelled.

"Captain, we're losing altitude! And that fleet is getting closer!" Sumire yelled.

"Goddamnit, when will they let up!" The lavender-haired woman growled. "Keep us leveled, whatever it takes! Tell the forward guns to continue suppressing fire-!"

"We can't! The lower defense system was taken out by- Oh shit! Captain!" Aoba yelled, bringing up another camera feed. "We've got incoming!"

The feed revealed two large Evangelions that flew forward from the fleet. Like Unit-16, these EVA's had full bodies, save for their ankles which were replaced by large cylinder-shaped thrusters with exhaust ports along the rim. They were colored light grey with white highlights across their bodies, their heads covered by Angel masks.

"Dammit, more Mark.04 drones!" Katsuragi groaned. "What are their headings?!"

"Scanning for S2 Engine signals…" Aoba cursed under his breath. "The engine! They must be searching for Unit-01!"

_Dammit, does that mean Section-31 detected Unit-01's energy signature? Is that possible, even with the Nullification Barriers?!_ She questioned herself. Katsuragi looked back to the battle, she had to stay focused above all else. "If they get their hands on Unit-01, it'll drag us down badly… Activate emergency shielding!" She ordered. "Koji, bring the engine into the hull of Wunder! Emergency Code 9-6-2-8!"

"Initializing!" Outside Wunder, the rib-cage opened slightly as the Mark.05's rammed their spears into the hull. One of them reached out to the oval-shaped cocoon, but it hissed as the engine flashed them with a spark of energy. They growled, trying to reach the hidden EVA as it was pulled into the inside of Wunder, the rib-cage closing up and covering the area wholly.

Koji laughed. "The main Engine has been sealed! We're safe for-" The ship trembled again, shuddering as Sumire forced it afloat. "For the time being." He finished.

"But for how long…?" Katsuragi murmured, looking below at the battle. "What the hell are they doing down there?"

* * *

**Arc De Triomphe, Old Paris**

"_Don't just sit there you useless Dummy Plugs! Get the Positron into firing position!"_ Cypher ordered, his EVA swooping down as unit-08 stood up. He painfully grabbed the head of the pink giant, pulling it loose from the Cable Flight wires.

"Ah, crap-!" Mari cried, bracing and trying to grasp onto Unit-16's body. She struggled as the white EVA flew upward, grabbing its wing and tugging. "Take that-Augh!"

Unit-08 cried as 16 crashed down, using it at a shield. _"You dropped this, have it back!"_ Cypher growled, tossing Unit-08 aside. It turned to the Sealing Pillar, a low gurgle escaping the mouth bolts as the white EVA stomped forward. _"That's it, now I'm pissed."_

"_**You forgot about me, dipshit!"**_ Prodigium's voice called, and a long lance tore right into Unit-16's side. Cypher screamed at the attack, turning his head to see Unit-05 holding the Sankaku Lance. _**"You really should pay attention to your surroundings!"**_

"Unit-05, get out of there!" Kitakami yelled. "The cannon is going to-!"

Too late. The Position gave a whirl as it's crew eyes all flashed red. Another powerful Angel-like beam tore through the air, and Unit-05 barely had time to react as it's right side was completely burned off. Prodigium screamed as his visor flashed all sorts of emergency warnings and errors, his dark silver EVA collapsing as Unit-16 took flight once more.

The beam slammed into the shield of warships, burning through one after another like a hot knife through butter. Their melted halves were sent flying, destroying the old houses and apartment buildings- hell, one even crashed right into the Eiffel Tower.

The final battleship stood before the beam, barely holding it back as its hull was burned through. While most of the crew behind her were struggling to keep calm from possibly dying, Ritsuko was not. She didn't care if she died here or not. It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. And yet, against all odds, fate seemed to have different intentions.

The warship was pushed forward, almost crashing the pillar as a familiar Evangelion charged forward, kicking it back. "Ha, made it just in time!" Mari called, her EVA called to the ground beside the pillar. Amid all the chaos, she managed to snag one of the loose Flight wasn't much, but it helped out in the end. She grunted, glancing down at the tossed around Tank Battalion as she turned to the downed Unit-05. "If they fire again we're toast!"

"_**I AM toast, Mari!"**_ Prodigium managed out, trying to pull his EVA up with his one remaining arm. He groaned, looking to see the Mk.44B's humming again. _**"You better hurry the fuck up, or we're all dead!"**_

"He's right- there's another reconcentration of energy!" Kitakami yelled out. Sure enough, the 44B's were charging up again, humming loudly as the Positron Cannon lowered itself to face the Pillar. "Acceleration engaging- They've taken firing position!"

"Second shot coming!" Asuka yelled from down below. "Prepare for impact!"

Mari growled, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. She grinned when she spotted something. "Okay, let's hope this works!" She exclaimed, grabbing the remains of the red tower and charging forward. "Nagara, I need another distraction!"

"_Trying to do the best- fuck!"_ Sumire's voice cut out just as a shadow flew over.

"_Don't you dare!"_ With a bird-like shrill, Unit-16 flew forward after Unit-08, a blood trail escaping it's injured side. The fingers of the beast extended out to long, skeletal claws as it reached for the running EVA. _"You won't stop this-ack?!"_

The EVA screamed as it's wing was hit, sliced open by a familiar, flying Sankaku lance. Unit-08 spun sharply, grabbing the lance and tugging it out, tearing the wing fully and forcing the white EVA down. "Here I come!"Mari yelled, thrusting the Tower forward…

Only to cry out as the lower half of Unit-08 was wrapped around by the Mk.4444C's drill-tendril. She was right there, just meters away from the damn Cannon! "God this sucks…!" Mari cried, forcing the controls as much as she could. The EVA groaned in pain as it's lower half was torn clean off. _"_Don't think that'll stop me!"

With a roar, Unit-08 pulled up the Sankaku and rammed it into the Eiffel Tower. Mari gave an enraged cry as she forced the lance forward, sending the tip of the red tower right into the barrel of the Positron Cannon. The A.T Field flashed to life and struggled to stay active, collapsing as the Sankaku pierced through the hexagon shield.

"Excusez-Moi, Eiffel!" Mari grunted, pushing her wrecked EVA as her Entry Plug static and struggled to remain online. The Tower was destroyed as Mari twisted and turned the Sankaku, forcing it to bend and twist into the Positron Cannon. With one final scream, Unit-08 forced the tower into the Cannon barrel, at the cost of its torso being ripped apart.

"_No, fuck!"_ Cypher screamed, punching the side of his Entry Plug as the Mk.4444C tilted backward, it's systems faulting and breaking up as the long drill-tendrils slapped away the

Inactive 44B's. _"Goddammit!"_

The Mk.4444C exploded in a bright orb of purple energy, sending the two halves of Unit-08 flying (Unit-08's top was pulled away by the Flight Cable), decimating any remaining Mk.4 drones around in a bright burst of 'Angel' crosses.

"The Mark.4444C has gone completely silent. Operation time is 30 seconds!" Kitakami announced.

"The last lock has been deactivated, ma'am!" Hideki yelled out, looking to Maya. "System Anti-L, Stage 5 complete!"

Sure enough, Maya's screen after another second blinked red, reading, 'SYSTEM UNLOCKED. ANTI-L SHIELDING SYSTEM CONTROL: ONLINE.' "Fuck yes!" Maya yelled, looking at Ritsuko. "Vice-Captain, the Sealing Pillar is activating!"

All across the Sealing Pillar red outlines of squares glowed all around the Pillar, raising it slightly as a bright flashed echoed around the area. A shield of energy expanded from the pillar, transforming the red land into a familiar, alive land.

The trees returned to lush green as the buildings returned to a bright, pale color as Kitakami connected into the main systems. "Restoring Old Paris. Euro-NERV France Installation is rebooting. Main systems coming online!" In an instant, connections pillars unlocked as the buildings encircling the Arc De Triomphe rose to reveal their "catacombs"- giant storage contained bearing the blue Euro-NERV sigil.

"The enemy is in the open!" Asuka yelled over the comms to the remaining Charger Tanks. "Push forward!"

In an instant the remaining Charger Tanks rolled over the abandoned cars and downed Section-31 troops, firing rounds at the newly revealed, bright red Mk.21's forces who were trying to sneak upon them. They exploded as they turned tail, climbing over one another as their forces dwindled one after another.

"_Are you fucking kidding me?!"_ Cypher roared. He growled, looking upwards as his Assault Fleet. As strong as they were, the Fleet was taking damage, and Wunder would be on them sooner or later. The blonde growled, closing his EVA's wings. _"All forces, pull back immediately! Fall back into the Exclusion Zone!"_

The blonde snarled, almost tempted to yell out or last the enemy forces. But he knew they'd shoot him down or mock him. _"Soon…_" he told himself, turning away. _"Soon I'll rip those cowards limb from limb…"_ With that he pulled Unit-16 away, rushing away as the Assault Fleet pulled back.

"Enemy forces are on the retreat…!" Kitakami gasped out, breathing heavily as she slouched atop her computer. "And 11 seconds to spare…!"

"Thank God…" Maya groaned, sighing as she laid back.

"Good work, Maya." Ritsuko turned, coming to face the group. "That was a close call." She turned upwards, wincing when she saw the burning Wunder, before pressing a button on her Anti-L Mask. The mask opened, and she breathed actual oxygen air for the first time in decades. "Assault successful, Captain Katsuragi."

"_And by the looks of things, our guests are following suit…"_ Katsuragi's voice rang out. _"Activate the Installation's defense grid. Something tells me we won't be leaving for a good while."_

"Understood." Ritsuko nodded, looking to the distance Unit-08 and 05. "Seems we'll have to do our part down here."

"_Preparing for emergency resupply units. Priority EVA rebuilding supply parts and ammunition!"_

"_Release the remaining logistic support ships. We need the parts to rebuild Unit-02 Dash!"_

"Welp looks like we'll be stuck here for a while…" Mari called, standing atop the controls to her Entry Plug. "But then again, to the victor goes the spoils."

"_**The only spoils I see is Unit-02 getting rebuilt along with our EVA's…"**_ Prodigium groaned, going through his EVA's systems. _**"God, this sucks…"**_

"I like to look at the plus side of this. Now the blown up Unit-02 can be upgraded, and our Unit's 05 and 08 can be modified for superposition compatibility." Mari said with a soft smile. She crossed her arms, looking at the distant EVA parts that would be added to their arsenal. "No matter what it takes, I'll win this… Just wait a little longer… and then I'll come to find you, Shiro."


	19. World of EVA 1

_**Hey guys, KnightOfZ3R0 here with a sort of new bonus chapter and update!**_

_**So first off, I am well- I've finally gotten out of my month-long writer's block thanks to this COVID-19 stuff canceling school and all, so I've had a lot of time to get back into the game. I've also been playing a lot of video games recently (Black Mesa, Doom 2016, Devil May Cry 1-5, Destiny 2, etc.) so life has been good so far.**_

_**Please remember if you don't already to stay indoors and keep clean, the more he contributes the faster this pandemic will pass!**_

_**So anyway, onto the meat of this idea I had.**_

_**As you, the readers, know, there are A LOT of characters and groups that are being added into this story. Some are old and familiar (NERV, SEELE, WILLE) and others are new to the game (NEVEC, Section-31, the E.U Council, etc.)**_

_**And because I don't want to add to confusion anyone may have in regards to "Who is wherewith who and why?" I decided to provide a more in-depth look at some of these groups, who they are comprised of and what they bring to the table.**_

* * *

First up, WILLE.

WILLE is a U.N sanctioned military force dedicated to destroying the rogue EVA group Neo-NERV and subduing the US military force NEVEC. They aim to destroy any form of Evangelion or alien beings that can trigger extinction-level events (I.E an Impact) and capture the rogue NERV leader, Gendo Ikari.

Most of the leading figures in WILLE are former NERV employees, however, there is also an equal amount of new characters who make up for the other half.

**Misato Katsuragi-** Captain of the AAA Wunder and makeshift commander of WILLE

**Ritsuko Akagi-** Vice-Captain of AAA Wunder

**Asuka Langley Shikinami-** Pilot of Evangelion Unit-02 Dash

**Mari Makinami Illustrious-** Pilot of Evangelion Unit-08

**Prodigium-** Pilot of Evangelion Unit-05

**Shigeru Aoba-** Wunder Imagery and Audio Technician

**Makoto Hyuga-** Wunder Central Computer Technician

**Koji Takao-** Wunder Engine Control Manager

**Sumire Nagara-** Wunder Helmsman

**Hideki Tama-** Wunder General Technician

**Midori Kitakami-** Wunder Sonar/Radar Technician

**Maya Ibuki-** Evangelion Squad Maintenance Chief

Now there are two major military forces that work all around the ship and maintain security- they are the WILLE EU 1st Regiment and the Wunder Specialist Forces. And the Wunder crew/technicians, if want to get technical.

The WILLE EU 1st Regiment comprises 4 forces- however, most of the soldiers in these units are noticeable via their sand yellow, military-grade uniforms. They range from Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force personnel and are called upon when needed for specific operations.

One of these groups, specifically in the Marines sector, is the European Tank Battalion. They are composed of modified Challenger Type-02 Tanks and a single Type-01 Shagohod Command Unit. They're only used when it comes to defense and pushing enemy ground forced back from specific areas of interest.

The secondary group is the Wunder Specialist Forces- they're composed of veteran military soldiers and NERV Section-02 Tactical officers who worked prior to Third impact and served in both the US and European forces. They are most noticeable via their dark, black military-grade uniforms and blue bandana arm wraps. These Specialist soldiers watch over the crew and consist of four troops located in small security hub areas through the ship and report directly to Maya Ibuki and Misato Katsuragi.

* * *

_**I'll be posting a few more of these "World of Evangelion" pieces as I go through the upcoming chapters, which I've begun working on and answering any question anyone may have.**_

_**I also want to add that, to any of my Cease to EXist readers that I will be returning to work on Tokyo Ghoul in the upcoming future, so please wait a little longer!**_

_**That Said, This is The KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_


	20. Chapter 18

_**Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV Anime and Manga), End of Evangelion, Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and the Evangelion Rebuild series are owned by Hideki Anno and written by Yoshikuki Sadamoto. I own no characters, locations nor elements or songs from the original Manga, Anime, or Rebuild/EoE movies. I own only OC Shiro Ikari. Please support future Evangelion Rebuild releases.**_

_**That Said, Please Enjoy The Show!**_

* * *

Normal Talking- "Hello"  
Radio/EVA- _"Hello"_

SEELE/A.I/Angel_**-"Hello"**_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Perilous Act**

**WILLE AAA Wunder, Old Paris**

Outside the Wunder, the smoking wing clouded over the side of the flagship. It was, unfortunately, the perfect cover for the small insertions the Mark.05A's left behind.

Amidst the small rubble and torn bits of metal a faintly thin mark scratch over the closed rib-cage of Wunder. It was barely noticeable from a distance, half the size of a human as it began to fade into the hull itself. It disappeared, along with a sibling scratch on the opposite side, shortly thereafter.

* * *

**Interrogation Cell-001, Wunder Quarantine Deck**

"Okay so… The Quarantine Deck is a bust." Kensuke said, turning to Shiro who watched Shinji in the other room, with Rei-Q. "This command console is tapped so only high ranking personnel can bypass their login systems."

"You mean to tell me you, the head of EVA engineering and tech NEVEC, can't hack past a _login screen?"_ Shiro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's not it, dumbass and you know it! These terminals are monitored by a system admin connecting to the MAGI's 666-Type Firewall, which connects to the Achiral MAGI. Plugging alone was a risk as they're monitoring the outlets via fiber cabling all across the ship." He explained, before pulling up an image. It was of Wunder, a cross-section with levels and areas of interest pointed out. "I only managed to snag this before I got out in time."

"A map?"

"Yep. We may not have any real info, but this is a start to it." He said, fixing his gaze to Shinji and Rei. "Speaking of starting, don't you think we should… I dunno, get moving?"

"Moving?"

"You know… away from the Quarantine Deck…"

"For God's sake, man! Just spit it out."

"I'm just saying- and don't get me wrong, I trust Shinji with my life- I… I don't trust this Ayanami, you know?" Kensuke mumbled out, shutting his laptop. "The fact she openly said she's got nothing to lose and painted out the whole world like the bad guy… doesn't hit right with me."

"I guess it's the fact I know Rei only as a high school student, not Rei as an EVA pilot. It could also be because I could see… she was changing, you know? She was growing more…" Shiro nodded.

"I know. More human." He finished, biting his lip with a sad look. "But still, I refuse to believe this will be the Rei Ayanami of today. Somewhere in all the genetic coding and formatting, there's got to still be that human side to her. No way Gendo would risk giving that up."

"But from what Shinji's told us, Gendo kept his distance from her!"

"Well, that's what we know so far. We can't confirm or deny that because Shinji arrived only a few weeks ago." Shiro responded. "For all we know, they could very well have had a relationship. Maybe not like how Rei-2 did at the Geo-Front, but… long distance, perhaps? I don't know, maybe I'm the crazy one here but like I said…" He looked over to them, smiling a bit as Shinji spoke to her. "There's got to be a human side in her. There's one in all of us…"

"Perhaps your right…" Kensuke pulled up his wrist, holding it out to show the map of Wunder. "Okay, so the Quarantine Deck is a bust. We can't access the bridge for obvious reasons, and I doubt the tram station we passed would have any good connections there."

"What do you suggest? We're knee-deep in enemy territory _inside_ more enemy territory." Kensuke hummed quietly, looking over the Wunder map while Shiro looked at his Muramasa. He glanced over the trigger before shuffling into his jacket's inner pocket. "Well while we think, I'm gonna listen to some tunes..."

He pulled out a pair of black, Bluetooth XBA-H3 Earphones and looked down to his old friend-

A matching dark Sony Walkman NW-F887 with an old faded out grey NERV logo on the back. _Crazy how you're still with me,_ He thought, flipping through the music tracks.

Meanwhile, in the opposite room, Shinji was looking over Rei-Q's wounds. "I'm very glad you're safe," Shinji said, looking over Rei's forearm. She'd hit herself on one of the curving support beams in the room- it cut through her Plugsuit and into her wrist. Luckily the interrogation room had a medical kit, so he was able to wrap her injury nicely.

"Thank you." She replied, checking her wrist. She stared at it for a while before speaking again. "I… I believe I saw Rei Ayanami, Ikari."

"Hm?" Shinji gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"While I was resting in my LCL tank at Neo-NERV Headquarters, I saw something. I saw the Commander, as well as a woman and an Entry Plug." She explained. "It was… disturbing. They spoke as though I was not there, talking about an Entry Plug System for Evangelion, and that all they needed was an EVA to believe a person was piloting it to move in sync."

Shinji was genuinely taken back by this. Where was it coming from? _An Entry Plug… Does that mean she saw the Dummy Plug System when it was brought to the Geo-Front? But that would mean she'd have to have been there which is impossible since Rei-2 was. Unless… Could she be remembering Rei-2's memories?_

This raised a new number of questions- How was this possible? Could this be happening because she and Unit-01 are at close-range? What happened to Rei-2, is she really within the core of Unit-01? If so, how was Rei-Q receiving- if not, being _sent_ these memories? "Do you remember anything else?" He asked slowly.

She shook her head. "No, I don't and it… troubles me."

"Well, how?"

"Because they are not my memories- I do not know of any scientist working for NERV aside from Dr. Akagi who now works for WILLE. So it conflicts with my memories of-" Sudden Rei-Q felt a sharp pain jab right into her cheek. She grit her teeth as the pain, putting a hand up which only made it worse. "Ack-!"

The pain shot right up to her head, and it felt like a skull-splitting crack shot down the middle. She screamed, falling to the side in pain as Shinji rushed to help her. "Rei!" he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her back the best he could as he looked over her. "What is it?! What's wrong-?"

In a flash, Shinji's vision turned red. He screamed, clutching his head as voices all around began whispering and talking, rising to screams and cries of agony. It hurt so much as if his head was going to explode.

He shut his eyes tightly and breathed heavily to try and reel in this, what he assumed to be a panic attack. It must have been working considering the screams died down to a slow groan with eerie background sounds. He couldn't tell if it was from Rei or the Wunder itself, but it was loud. And everywhere. But, to Shinji's confusion, the groaning melted into the sound of bubbling, lowering to a final humming tone. When he opened his eyes, Shinji saw darkness; the voice.

There was something off though. The sound of small gasps filled the black room, but they weren't his. But they were… familiar... _"o… lo?... H….llo, i-is... ny...ne t...r…? He…l me…"_

Shinji flew around. "Hello? Who's there?!" He called out. Nothing. No response.

The breathing was still there though._ "...h….p….me…..ji-k….."_

"Hello?! Please, I need you to speak up! I can't hear you, or see you!" It was so familiar- who was-

"_**HELPMEHELPMEHELPMEHELPMEHELPMEHELPMESHINJI!" **_The voice exploded all around, and Shinji screamed as his head was hit with flashes of pain everywhere. It was the worst pain he'd experienced until he felt someone shaking him.

"inj...Shinji…! _**Shinji!**_" Black clashed with color and Shinji gasped, falling forward. He was back in the Interrogation Room, sitting beside an unconscious Rei-Q and his brother. Shiro pulled him close, shaking him. "Shinji, Shinji for the love of God breathe!"

"Y-Yeah, Yeah I…" He breathed, looking to the blue albino. "It can't be…. Can it…?"

"Shinji? What happened back there?"

"I... heard a voice. Yeah-I think…." He struggled to talk, trying to think. "I think it was Rei's."

"Rei?" Shiro raised an eyebrow, looking from his brother to the downed girl. "But, Shinji… Rei's knocked out. How could she have-"

"No. Not Rei-Q, but…. _Rei_. Rei-2, the one we've known, Shiro…" He finally breathed, feeling a chill run down his spine at the name.

Shiro froze. "But… Wait, that can't be right! Shinji, you were there in the Geo-Front! We saw the whole thing go down- Unit-00 got swallowed by the Tenth Angel!" He finally said. "She couldn't have survived that."

"She did though, somehow…" Shinji argued. "She never died, Shiro. Far from it, she was absorbed by the Angel, into the core."

"Absorbed… Like what, like how we were in Unit-01 and 13?"

"No. Well, sort of..." Shinji continued. "I never bothered to bring this up because… well, I never really got the time with all the shit happening, but when Unit-01 had gone berserk I heard a voice in the Entry Plug."

"A voice?"

"Yes, it was Rei's voice. I saw her, Shiro- she was inside the Angel's core, I-I wanna say the Angel and Unit-00 fused and it trapped her in there."

"Well, that shows how it got past the security systems at NERV. But that doesn't explain how you-"

"I'm getting there, I'm getting there!" Shinji responded. "It was when Unit-01 lost control… when the Angel was pinned that I was able to see. I was able to hear her, see her…. She was so lonely, so hopeless like she was trapped." That got everyone's surprise.

"Well, how do you know all of this?"

"Because I pulled her out, that's how." He said, watching their eyes widen. "I pulled her out and into the EVA."

"Wa-Wait, you _pulled_ Rei into Unit-01's core?" Kensuke questioned, looking at Shiro. "Is that even possible?"

"Well, considering I'm able to enter and exit an EVA core for the most, it's not unlikely." He pondered, looking down in thought. "But… If Shinji had pulled out Rei from the Angel's core, then that explains that giant woman who appeared when the Angel exploded."

"Giant woman?" Shinji asked.

"Not the point. This would mean in turn Rei was able to enter Unit-01's core and openly fused the Angel and Evangelion."

"Christ almighty…" Kensuke whispered in amazement. "That explains why your synchronization rate was so high; all of that neural energy and power, it had to have come from the Angel which shifted to you and Unit-01. That's why Unit-01 continued Third Impact, it was the literal catalyst of it all."

"And that's not the only thing," Shinji said, pulling something at the small box on his hip. It was his S-DAT, which had sat in the back case. "There's this."

"Our S-DAT…" Shiro whispered in shock, taking it and looking the cassette player over. "But, didn't you…"

Shinji nodded. "Yep. The last time I saw this was when Rei-2 had it in her hands. Inside Unit-01's core." Shinji finished, smiling a bit as he saw that look in Shiro's eyes; that look of joy and remembrance as he held it in his hands.

And then it dawned on him. "That's why WILLE isn't using Unit-01 on the field, it's not just a matter of using it as an energy system, they must be terrified of the power it has."

"Yeah, and there's no doubt that if Shinji could come back, then Rei could come back as well," Kensuke stated. "Which means…"

"We need to get to engineering," Shiro said, standing up with murasama in hand. "And fast…!"

* * *

**Command Center, Euro-NERV Old France**

If you were to look at Euro-NERV and compared to NERV HQ you'd probably find close to very little differences. The hallways were bright and pale, the important chambers wither either wide or open in space- most of it was the same save for the EVA cages. Instead of being side by side, the EVA cages were built in a large cylindrical room, with cage connections and restraint holders lining the walls for at least 5 to 6 units.

Not that it meant much considering they now had no fully functioning EVA's. But luckily that's where all the new armor and weaponry storage in the old NERV facility was open for taking. Most of WILLE's Battalion was resting in the area, relaxing from the battle.

"I gotta say, I thought we'd make it out okay but-"Mari gestured to her ruined Unit-08, being held up in one of the EVA cages with it's lower half 'sitting' below it. "My Unit-08!" She whined.

"Oh quit being a baby, Four-Eyes! Besides, at least you _have_ something to salvage!" Asuka snapped, huffing as she sat back. "But in all honesty, we lost probably a bit more than we should have."

"_**We miscalculated, simple as that,"**_ Prodigium told them. _**"We expected Section-31 to appear, yeah; we just didn't know the firepower they had backing them. But now we know to be careful, especially with Cypher's side of 31."**_

"Miscalculate my ass! It if wasn't for that 4444C, we totally would have had them! But apparently, Gendo just loves giving his new friends the best toys on the market!"

"_**Yeah. Well on the plus side all those EVA unit parts are gonna be very helpful with reconstructing our units. 08 and 05, we can work with but Unit-02.D will take time no doubt."**_

"That is correct." The voice of Vice-Captain Akagi came up, and the EVA pilots looked to see her walk up beside the shutdown Shagohod. "Even with all these parts, many of our specialists and head researchers have never worked on something so complicated."

"But we made Unit-08, remember?" Mari called out.

"Yes, but we had a lot more resources at the time…" She looked away a bit. "Not to mention we _had_ people who knew how the systems worked and how to create the tissue and armor of EVA itself…"

"But," she continued. "In the end, we will prevail. I'm overseeing the reconstruction of all our Evangelions, as well as the upgrading of Unit-02 Dash into Unit-02 Alpha."

Mari smirked a bit while Asuka blinked. "Wait a sec, I thought Project U2A was barred but the UN." She stated.

Ritsuko nodded. "It is. However, with the new arsenal and weaponry, we have here we'll be able to build a more down-to-Earth variation, and the U.N Council won't have to lift a finger in regards to it." She answered.

"Well, that's one thing we can look forward to…!" Mari noted, humming before she pulled something from behind her. It was a drawing pad of sorts, with an attached pen to it; she used it mainly for drawing and killing time. It also helped her cope with essentially everything that went on daily in their lives and acted as a makeshift recording of everything up to this point.

As soon as she began drawing, Hyuga walked up to Ritsuko and saluted. "Ma'am," He started. "We've managed the primary systems of the base. While we don't have a MAGI, the central computer can run close to all the optimal testing and battle plans, similar to how Archial on Wunder has been able to, however at a very impressive rate in comparison."

"Well then, looks like we'll be staying here for a while." Ritsuko hummed. "Anything in regards to the damage done to Wunder?"

"Nothing yet, comms are down. We've to assume the Mk.4444C disabled one of the communication towers." Hyuga responded.

_Strange,_ Ritsuko thought quietly. _Normally this shouldn't be a problem, Wunder has three communication systems. There's no reason they shouldn't be being hailed by us unless something was wrong. _"I see. Inform me whenever something new comes up."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**Emergency Encasement Chamber, AAA Wunder**

A good hour had passed before the four arrived at their destination- The 'Reactor' Encasement Chamber. By proxy, it was just as the name implied; a massive room with a ribcage-like design across the walls, curved roofing with lighting coming from the back wall and front control deck, which was seemingly left untouched.

Up till now, that is.

That aside, massive cables and tubes connected to the oval-shaped object before the Ikari brothers, solid black and covered by a purple zig zag-like pattern, with a round access hatch on the top-er, in front of them now. Leading up to the access hatch; a grated walkway with guard rails that surrounded the entire cocoon, with energy tubes and connector wires all across the outlining walkway, all of which hovered above a lake of LCL where the cocoon sat. And it didn't take a genius to know what was underneath it.

"So…." Shiro mumbled, crossing his arms with 'interest'. "This is it huh….?"

"Yes," Shinji replied, clenching his blade tightly, eyes boring across the black chrysalis. "Beneath this…. cocoon is Unit-01." Words couldn't describe the feeling he had inside; it was anything but joy, _that_ he knew to heart. But he couldn't help but feel this... Nostalgia? Reminiscence maybe, it felt like he was staring back at Unit-01 the day he arrived at the Geo-Front.

"Well, let's hope they haven't removed the Entry Plug; otherwise, this will be a lot more complicated than I hope," Shiro stated, turning to the control deck above them. "Ken, I'm hoping you're logged back in?"

"Almost- man, they forgot about this place didn't they?" The control center was more or less a mess, much like Wunder itself; a simple rectangular room with red walls, and unlit ceiling and a white floor where wire, cables, sealed wooden boxes-hell even server systems were left untouched…. And perfect open to access. Well, one was, which connected to the control panels by the glass viewing, where Kensuke was.

"It's almost a shame to see all this nice tech open… and exposed…. And left for little ol' me to take over!" He bemused, fixing his glass with a smile as he sped through command prompts as he sent in and pulled out data packets and commands for the room. Beside him was Rei-Q, resting quietly in a chair after her mental crash. "Okay…. Annnnnnd done! I now have full root access to the security systems in the room!"

"Close off all camera feed and have redirected outside or across other parts of the ship," Shiro ordered. "From there on, lock the entrances and exits to the room. I also want you to establish a connection to Musashi and the White Sun; tell them to be ready for the final run."

"You got it, boss….!"

The NEVEC Commander nodded, before looking to his silent brother. "So…" He started slowly. "How does it… feel? Being so close to Unit-01 and all….?"

"I don't know…" Shinji admitted, resting his hands atop the katana's pommel. "A part of me is concerned, being so close after Unit-13 and…." He paused, inhaling. "Fourth Impact. I know I had a hand in it, even if Unit-13 was possessed by the 13th Angel. But right now… I'm not sure what to think."

"Yeah, I know what you mean…." He admitted, looking over the area for a brief moment before shaking his head. "You know, I'm surprised! Even with all this 'security', I'm surprised the Nullification Blocks weren't brought up to control Unit-01's S2 Engine."

"Oh, they're there, alright!" Kensuke called over the comms, looking over his computer details. "In truth, the Nullification Barriers are not surrounding the reactor right now because they're _under_ the reactor."

"Wait what?"

"The Emergency Chamber, as I'm sure you're already aware, is incomplete thanks to Neo-NERV's little assault in the Arctic. Because of this, Achiral has revealed to me that in order to 'protect' the cocoon, the Chamber used gear pulley systems and rotors to reposition the Blocks below the reactor. And because the Blocks aren't made to be exposed, they can easily be destroyed; leaving the reactor still exposed."

"Jesus Christ…." Shinji chuckled a bit, watching Shiro run a hand through his hair and over his face with disbelief and disappointment. "If you're gonna play the Gendo part, at least _know_ how to protect and do shit right, Misato…"

"Oh, but Shiro you forget-" The brother spoke up. "This is _Misato_ we're talking about; you know, action first, details later…?"

"Touche." With that, the two stepped forward and up to the access hatch. The round hatch flashed an outline in red, a small beeping coming off. "Kensuke?"

"I see it. It's some sort of final defense, requiring the captain's ID and password. Not that it'll do much, considering…." After a moment of typing, the hatch stopped beeping as its outline glowed green. "I _am_ the captain- in this part of the ship anyways."

"And they can't see you messing around in their systems?" Shinji asked.

"Nope! Those morons decided to leave this little part of Achiral open to access, allowing me to fire up a 666 Firewall to cover us." Kensuke reassured. "Don't worry- if anything comes up, I'll let you both know immediately!"

"We're counting on you, Ken. Watch Rei for us," Shiro grunted, pulling the hatch level out and causing the hatch to fly open. A thick LCL scent met them at the entrance. "Wish us luck….!"

* * *

_**A/N: **__**Hi everyone, KnightOfZ3R0 here! It's... been a good while since I came back; I want to assure anyone concerned, I am fine! I'm taking precautions, being careful outside, staying in as much I can, etc. I finally graduated! Yay! So I have a lot more time to work on chapters- I.E fleshing out Cease To EXist's first chapters. But that aside, I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do after EVA, after Tokyo Ghoul.**_

**_I'll admit... I've said before that I have had plans. That I have projects in order here, things to do, but now I've begun to really prioritize what to work on, when to work on it, and overall just fleshing out my daily routines. That said, this is the layout; this is the plan. Once Evangelion: We Can (And Will) Reverse This, I will continue to work on Tokyo Ghoul: Cease To EXist._**

_**From there, I pushing to work on Code Geass: Nero Of The Reflection.**_

**_And from there... I don't know. I admit I don't know which leaves room for ideas and possibilities. Though as the old saying goes- One thing at a time._**

_**That Said, This Is The KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!**_


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